Superhero Godcat
by RememberTheDragons
Summary: Becoming the guardian and losing Master Fu took more of a toll on Marinette than she was willing to admit. Suddenly, it was as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Thankfully, she has a Fairy Godmother looking out for her. Or should we say superhero Godcat?
1. Penny for Your Thoughts

**Chapter One – Penny for Your Thoughts**

Becoming the guardian and losing Master Fu took more of a toll on Marinette then she was willing to admit. Suddenly, it was as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Or at least the weight of Paris' and the kwamis' existence.

Just dealing with being the guardian would be hard enough, but ever since Bunnix had taken her to defeat Cat Blanc, she'd been having recurring nightmares almost every night, all of which ended with either Ladybug or Marinette (sometimes she had to fight him as her civilian self, in which case rather than screaming 'Marinette', he'd be screaming 'Ladybug' instead) watching Cat Blanc destroy the entire universe, and ultimately the two of them.

The only good thing is that she always wakes up just as he yells 'Cataclysm'.

Then there's the fact that she's grieving the loss of Master Fu; her mentor and friend. He may not have been her actual grandfather, but there were many times when she felt the title fit him perfectly. And she failed him. She failed him so, so badly.

She knows it's her fault he's gone. She's the one who let Tikki go to the miracle box to try and figure out where Nooroo is, making Hawk Moth aware that there's a guardian of the kwamis', and the general location of where he is (. . . _was_). She's the reason why Marianne Lenoir was akumatised, which led to Hawk Moth knowing Master Fu's alias. She's the reason Hawk Moth was able to steal the miracle box from Master Fu, because she didn't detransform when she went to see him, which just fucked _everything_ up.

No matter what Tikki or Wayzz or any of the other kwamis or Cat Noir says, it _is_ her fault. Who else's fault could it possibly be?

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Marinette jumps and accidentally slashes a line across her page with her pen, essentially crossing out her physics homework. _Ugh, if only it was that easy to make it disappear_, she says to herself, turning her desk chair around to regard the superhero currently lounging on her chaise. She doesn't quite know why – he claims it to be his wanting to be her friend, and his 'kitty senses' telling him that she's been lonelier as of late – but he's been stopping by a couple of nights a week for the past month or so, either simply to have a five minute conversation, or to do what he's doing now.

"You don't need a penny for them: physics is shit."

He raises an eyebrow at her, lips twitching in an effort not to grin. "You don't usually swear, princess."

She rolls her eyes and turns back to her homework. "You don't really know me." She says it as a mutter, but she knows he'll be able to hear it with his advanced hearing.

"I'm offended!" He exclaims, and she closes her eyes and focuses on her breathing so she doesn't yell at him. Or start crying. Sometimes, that cat–boy is just too infuriating. "I'd like to think I know you _very_ well." He sneaks up behind her, invading her personal space. She senses more than feels his presence hovering over her shoulder. "Especially after all this time together."

She opens her eyes and turns in her seat to look up at him. He grins cockily. "Trust me," She says, smiling ruefully. "You don't know me very well."

She turns back to her homework and picks up her pen again, scribbling out the formula she started to write before her mind drifted off. I_ don't even know me very well_, she says to herself, rewriting the formula and hoping it kickstarts her brain into helping her figure out the answer. Sadly, it does nothing of the sort.

"I know plenty about you!" Cat goes on, his voice becoming even more cheerful. She wonders what Master Fu would think of her chasing the tomcat out of her room with a broom. He leans back against her desk and crosses his arms. He raises a finger, the sharp claw glinting slightly due to the light coming from her desk lamp. "I know you like to design," Another finger goes up. "I know that you can bake." A third finger. "I know . . ." He trails off and the self–assured smirk slips off his face.

She almost smiles when she realises he's stuck. "Anyone who knows anything about me knows those two things."

His gaze flicks back to hers and he drops his hand, letting it rest on the edge of her desk next to his thigh. He bites his lip. "I . . . I know that you've been sadder lately." He says quietly. She huffs out a sigh and doodles a random flower on the corner of her paper. "I know that you haven't been hanging out with your friends as much, and that you've stopped designing so much–"

"Are you stalking me?" She means to say it with more anger, but it comes out dull and quiet. Emotionless; like she doesn't actually care.

"Of course not." He says quickly, reaching out as if to put a hand on her shoulder or her arm, but he hesitates and scratches the back of his neck instead. "I–I mean . . . kinda?" He bites his lip and tries to read he expression, but she just stares despondently at her flower doodle, doing her best to ignore his gaze. He clears his throat. "I'm your knight in shining leather; I'm just looking out for my princess." He smiles smugly, but when she finally meets his gaze, she sees there's more worry in his eyes than anything else.

"There's looking out and there's _stalking_." She tells him, but she softens it with a rare genuine smile.

His eyes light up and he leans towards her, anchoring his hands on the back of her chair, on either side of her head. He smirks. "That's what a stalker would say, _purr_incess."

She gives him a deadpanned look and pushes him away from her with a finger to his forehead. The action reminds him of Ladybug, but he pushes the thought away. "Why are you stalking me?"

He makes a face and takes the pen from her. "Let's not say 'stalking'." His eyes flick to hers before going back to the paper where he's started drawing a stick figure with a tail and triangle ears (it's probably a cat, but Cat can't draw to save his life). "Let's say I was simply . . . being your superhero Godcat."

She raises an eyebrow. "Godcat?"

"Well, I can't very well be your godmother or godfather; I'm much to young, and I'm not a woman." He smirks at her.

"And you're not a fairy?"

She smiles slightly and he feels his heart swell. _Yes! I made her smile_. _One point to Cat!_ "Unfortunately not." He stands up and does an exaggerated model pose – the kind Chloé does. "Don't you think I could pull it off, though?"

She exhales through her nose, and although it's not quite a laugh, he'll take it. "You're a dork."

He grins and holds the pen out to her. She takes it from him. "I know."

She turns back to her homework and glares at the problem for another minute, still not sure if she's even using the correct formula or not. She sighs and shakes her head, deciding to just go with it. If she gets it wrong, she gets it wrong. Hell, it won't be the first time. She aware of Cat hovering over her shoulder and she can't help but tense up a little, only relaxing when he finally moves away to flop back onto her chaise.

She works her way through the rest of the problems, even managing to (maybe, possibly) get one (almost?) correct. Maybe. Leaning back in her chair, she rubs her eyes, managing to draw a little on her face with her still–open pen, before packing her school bag for the following day. Going off her track record, she'll wake up early, but be unable to actually get out of bed until her mother calls her down to breakfast, saying she'll be late otherwise.

"Okay Kitty, I have to . . ." She trails off and smiles to herself, gazing fondly at the sight of her partner curled into a ball on her chaise, fast asleep.

She shakes her head slightly and looks up at her bed. Tikki and Wayzz smile down at her, although Tikki's eyes are a little worried; she's not exactly a fan of Marinette allowing Cat Noir to come into her room in case he discovers something he shouldn't. Like the phonograph sitting – rather obviously – on her desk. Wayzz nudges his arm against Tikki's and, when she looks at him, he smiles as if to say 'don't worry'. She sighs and smiles kindly, before dragging him out of sight so Cat Noir won't see them when he climbs through the skylight.

"Cat?" Marinette asks, shaking his shoulder gently. He whines and curls into a tighter ball. She rolls her eyes fondly. "Kitty? You have to wake up."

"Don' wanna." He grumbles, voice thick with sleep.

"Well, you gotta." She runs her fingers lightly over his cheek, tickling him, and he swats at her blindly.

"No."

She sighs and sits on the edge of her chaise, letting her hand rest on his knee. She taps it insistently and hums one of Jagged Stone's songs loudly. He blinks his eyes open and frowns at her.

"You're annoying."

She shrugs and continues to hum until she gets to the end of the song, when she ceases both her humming and tapping. "You can't sleep here."

Cat grumbles something incoherently and pushes himself up so he's sitting. "What time is it?"

"About midnight."

His eyes widen and he gapes at her, before he pulls his staff from his back to check the time on there. 11:52. _Shit_. "Woops." He grins at her and stands up, stretching the rest of the sleep out of his body. "As much as this cat likes to pretend he's nocturnal, he has school tomorrow." He sweeps into a low bow and grabs her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it quickly before she can pull it from his grasp. "Sweet dreams, _purr_incess."

"Night, Cat."

He flashes her one more grin before bounding up the stairs and through the skylight. She shakes her head fondly and smiles to herself. It fades, however, when her eyes land on the phonograph and she sighs, the weight of the world settling on her shoulders, pushing her down, down, down until her head hits the chaise cushion.


	2. Fifth Wheel

**Chapter Two – Fifth Wheel**

"Why are you so tired?" Nino says instead of 'hello' the next morning, dropping into his seat.

Adrien groans something and turns his head to look at his friend, but makes no move to lift it from his folded arms on his desk. "I couldn't sleep last night, and then I had an early morning photoshoot."

Nino grimaces on his behalf. "Shit. What time did you have to wake up for that?"

Adrien says 'five' through a yawn and sits up, leaning back against his seat. "If I'd gone to bed at a reasonable time, I'd have been fine."

"Still . . ." Nino shakes his head and pulls his things out of his bag. "Doesn't your dad worry about you looking tired in the photos, or something?"

Adrien shrugs, going so far as to pull his bag onto his lap, but he can't find the energy in him to actually take anything out. "My dad's usually working in his office by six in the morning; I have no idea what time he goes to bed."

"_If_ he goes to bed." Nino says, grinning at him. "You never know, dude, your dad could secretly be a zombie."

"Or a cyborg."

"Or an alien."

"Or–"

"Morning babe!"

Nino grins at Alya and leans forward to meet her halfway for a kiss over the desk. "Morning."

Alya grins at him before shifting her gaze to Adrien. "Hey."

"Hi." He lifts his hand in a wave and looks past her, hoping to see Marinette walk through the door. Alas, she is not there.

Alya moves to her seat and Nino turns around to continue talking to her, although Adrien has no idea what about. He fiddles with the zipper on his bag and glances at the door every few seconds, hoping Marinette will arrive soon.

He still doesn't understand why she can talk to him – and even tease him – as Cat Noir, but she's so uncomfortable around Adrien. She has definitely gotten better since when they first met, but it still doesn't take much to fluster her and make her close up. At least usually. He's noticed over the past couple of months that she's closed herself off more, and whereas before she wouldn't meet his eye, but would still glance at him from under her lashes, now she either stares at him blankly or doesn't look at him at all. He tried asking Nino about it, but he just said she's 'shy', and when he asked Alya she just shrugged it off as 'Mari being Mari'.

The thing is, he knows there's 'shy', and he knows there's whatever is happening to Marinette. And it doesn't appear to be good.

"Hey girl!" Alya calls and Adrien lifts his head from staring at his bag. Marinette smiles tiredly at her friend and walks up the stairs to her desk, collapsing into her seat with an exhausted sigh. Adrien turns around to start a conversation with her – even if it's just to ask what he already knows, which is why she's so tired – but Alya beats him to it. "Up late sewing?" She asks, nudging Marinette's arm. "I told you not to do that anymore, it's not good for your brain."

Marinette smiles at Alya again, but Adrien notices it's a little too forced, a little too fake. "Actually I was doing the physics homework."

Alya shakes her head fondly. "You need to stop leaving that until the last minute, girl. One day you won't be able to finish it on time." She turns back to her conversation with Nino, missing the way Marinette's smile drops off her face instantly. She somehow manages to look even more tired than before.

Adrien frowns, concerned, and Marinette startles slightly when her eyes meet his. He gives her his best Cat Noir smile, but all she manages is a ghost of a smile before she's pulling her things out of her bag and sitting them on her desk. He uses her distraction to check her out, try and see if she's feeling sick. Perhaps that's why she's been acting so different lately, and been so tired, even when they haven't had homework?

While she's more pale than usual, he knows that's just because she's tired. In fact, he can see that she's used makeup to hide the bags under her eyes. She's done a good job of it too, he only notices from years of being around models. He's not sure if her appetite has changed at all – she hardly eats lunch at school nowadays, most of the time she mumbles something about helping out at the bakery and escapes home – but she appears to be thinner than usual, although that could be because she's started wearing full–length jeans and an oversized jumper rather than her usual shirt and blazer.

He also can't help but notice that neither include her own designs. He'd gotten so used to seeing that flower pattern on all of her designs; it's become his identifier for her, the same way Ladybug's suit is hers. Ladybug herself has been dealing with her own issues. He understands that she's under a lot of pressure, what with losing Master Fu – who she was a lot closer to than Adrien was – and becoming the guardian, but whenever he asks how she's doing, she responds with a terse 'I'm fine' before instructing him to focus on the battle. He tries to not let it go to his heart, he knows that she's hurting and the last thing she needs is him complaining about her being a little short–tempered and closed off with him, but he can't help but feel angry with her. If she would just let him in, let him help, then surly it would get better for her? She can't keep him shut out forever, can she?

"–drien?"

"Hmm?" He asks, jolting out of his thoughts. Both Nino – the one who called his name – and Alya are looking at him with worry etched into their expressions. Marinette's doodling on the back page of her notebook, oblivious to the way he'd been staring at her while his mind was elsewhere. "Sorry, pardon?"

Nino raises an eyebrow, sharing a look with Alya. "Are you okay?"

He nods quickly and forces a smile. "Yep. Fine. I was zoned out."

"You don't say." Alya says, giving him a funny smile. Her gaze flicks between him and the still oblivious Marinette. "What's so interesting about our girl that had you staring at her for five whole minutes?"

_Shit, was he?_ "I wasn't staring at her." He feels a blush bloom on his cheeks and he uses all the willpower he has to force it away. "I was just . . . facing her direction and thinking to myself." Alya raises an eyebrow doubtfully, but thankfully doesn't press the matter. Adrien clears his throat and turns in his seat slightly so he's not looking so directly at Marinette. "What were you saying?"

"Als and I were wondering if you and Kagami wanted to come to lunch in that café on the other side of the park with us?"

"The one with the 'take a book, leave a book' bookshelf?"

"Yeah." Nino nods excitedly and pulls a novel out of his bag. "I bought this to trade. Last time I was there they had the screenplay for _The Cursed Child_, and I really want to read it."

"That's a _Harry Potter_ book, right?" He asks, finally taking his things out of his bag when he realises the bell is going to go in a few minutes.

"Yeah. It's the same universe, but I don't think Harry or Ron or Hermione are actually in it. I'm pretty sure it's their kids." He flicks through the novel he's trading and Adrien pulls his phone out of his pocket to text Kagami, but pauses.

"What about Marinette?"

"Hmm?" Nino glances up from the book to look at him questionably. "What about her?"

"Is she coming?" He glances back at her, but she's still engrossed in her doodles. That, or she's just really good at pretending.

Nino shrugs slightly. "Well, it's kind of a double date." He bites his lip nervously and glances at Marinette, before sighing. He leans a little closer to Adrien so she won't hear if she actually is listening. "We don't want her to feel like a fifth wheel or anything."

Adrien frowns. "Fifth wheel? Isn't it third wheel?"

Nino shrugs again and leans back in his seat. "Yeah, but when it's a double date and there's an extra person, there's, like, two sets of wheels, plus an extra one, so, like, five." He frowns, confused. "Wait, no, um . . ."

"That makes sense." Adrien says before Nino can keep confusing himself. "But shouldn't we at least ask her? I don't want her to feel left out."

Nino bites his lip and adjusts his glasses nervously, glancing up at his childhood friend. "Yeah, but I don't want her to be there alone."

"What about Luka?" Adrien asks, although as he says his name, he realises that Marinette hasn't really mentioned him lately. Perhaps they've had a fight or something?

"Um . . ." Nino glances at Alya, who has been listening in on their conversation silently, begging her for help with his eyes.

"That isn't actually a bad idea." She says, but Adrien can't help but notice from Nino's wide eyes that that wasn't the response he was looking for. She turns to Marinette and shakes her shoulder, drawing her out of her own little world with a jolt.

"Is class starting?" Marinette asks, and, as if on command, the bell rings.

"Yeah, but that's not what I wanted to say." Alya pushes Marinette's notebook away from her slightly, closer to Adrien, so she can't get absorbed in it so quickly. "We're going to a café for lunch, do you want to come?"

"Um . . ." She fiddles with her pen and glances between Alya, Nino and Adrien, before her gaze goes back to her notebook. Adrien follows her gaze and tilts his head at the seemingly pointless doodles there, many of which appear to be weird symbols that he's never seen before. She must catch him looking and get embarrassed, because she flicks the book shut. "Who's 'we'?"

"Me, Nino, Adrien and Kagami." Alya says, before nudging Marinette again. "Luka should come too, though. You should text him."

"Um . . ." She tugs on her pigtail nervously before nodding slightly, although Adrien can't help but notice it looks more like she's giving in to Alya's wants more so then simply agreeing. "Okay."

"Great!"


	3. Coffee

**Chapter Three – Coffee**

It's about a five minute walk to the café, and Marinette finds herself walking beside Adrien while Alya and Nino walk a couple of steps ahead of them, hand–in–hand. She chews on her lip nervously and fiddles with her handbag – a simple black bag, slightly bigger than her old purse so she can fit any kwami snacks inside should she need to bring another kwami with her (besides Wayzz, who, after being worn for so long, doesn't really want to go back inside the miracle box, so hangs out with her and Tikki while she goes to school) – doing her best to ignore his gaze on her.

"So, is Luka meeting us there?" Adrien asks eventually, just as they're entering the park.

"He couldn't make it; he has to work on a project for school."

They dissolve into silence again and she can almost hear the cogs turning in Adrien's brain, trying to come up with something to say. She's come to realise that he's kind of like Cat Noir; he has an insane desire to fix things for people, and if he can't, he tries to make them feel better. Thankfully with less puns and barrel rolls.

"What do you think you're going to order?" She shrugs slightly. Honestly, she's not even hungry. "I'm not really allowed a lot of carbs, but I figured if I just exercise enough it'll be fine."

She nods slightly in acknowledgment and her eyes flick over to him briefly. He notices and his smile widens. She offers him the best smile she can before letting her gaze drift back to Alya and Nino. She drops her gaze down to the footpath when Nino wraps an arm around Alya and presses a kiss to her cheek.

"But then I have to worry about the possibility of Nathalie looking at my credit card and figuring out what I ordered from that."

There's a slight pause, and she glances at him to see he's looking at her expectantly, hopefully, wanting her to respond. She sighs and mentally shakes herself. _You can do this_. _Just be normal, play pretend, everything is _fine.

"That's a little overkill."

He snorts. "Yeah, but I wouldn't put it past her." He grins at her happily and she lets out a more genuine smile, feeling a little happiness lift the fog surrounding her. She finds it weird that she still gets happy just from him being happy. "I'm pretty sure she gets the cleaners to check my rubbish bin in my room just to see what I'm throwing out." He rolls his eyes.

She nods in acknowledgment and lets her gaze drift back to the footpath. They're almost to the gate at the other side of the park now; another minute or so and they'll be at the café. He opens his mouth to say something else but Alya beats him to it.

"Could you two hurry up!" She calls, cupping her hands around her mouth to create a megaphone (which is totally unnecessary due to their still–close proximity to each other, but Marinette isn't surprised she's trying to break up the tension between their group of friends). "We're burning daylight!"

"We're three steps behind you!" Adrien exclaims, but he still grabs Marinette's hand and pulls her forward at a quicker pace.

Marinette jumps at the contact and is too shocked at the action and the feel of Adrien's hand in hers – a little cold, if she's being honest, but that could just be her hand – to pull it from his grasp right away. Instead she allows him to pull her to where Alya and Nino are waiting at the crossing, fully expecting him to let it go once they stop. He doesn't.

"Um . . . Adrien?" She says, deciding he needs a bit of prompting.

He looks down at her and smiles. "Hmm?" Her gaze goes to their hands pointedly and she gives hers a little tug, as if to pull it from his grasp, but she doesn't want to seem like she's uncomfortable enough around him that she doesn't want to touch him. "_Oh_! Sorry!" He releases her hand quickly and scratches the back of his neck. Oddly enough, his cheeks flush darkly.

"No problem." She fiddles with her handbag strap and chews on her lip, staring at the traffic lights in a vain attempt to pretend he didn't seem to mind holding her hand.

"If you give me your orders I'll order them while you save a table." Nino offers as they step through the café door. Alya immediately lists off the kind of sandwich she wants, adding an expresso to it. Adrien scrutinises the menu quickly, before settling on a café crème and a quiche with a side salad. "Mari?" Nino asks, smiling at her.

"I'll just get a plain coffee." Marinette says, and he raises an eyebrow at her.

"But you don't like plain coffee." He says.

She shrugs noncommittedly. "It's growing on me." She forces a smile. "I think I need it today."

"Definitely." Alya agrees jokingly, and Marinette's smile falters slightly at the apparent unacknowledgment of her implications, although she does realise she's basically speaking in code to them.

"What about food?" Adrien asks, glancing back at the menu. He doesn't actually know what she usually orders for lunch when they go to cafés. He never really payed much attention to what she was eating unless it was from her bakery. Now he can't help but notice.

"I'm not hungry." She says automatically, before tapping Alya's arm. "There's a table over there, we should grab it before it gets taken." Without waiting for a reply, she moves over to it and sits down, facing away from the door, in the seat closest to the wall.

Alya and Nino share a look and shrug. She kisses Nino's cheek before moving to follow Marinette. Adrien nods at Nino and moves to follow the Ladyblogger.

"Is she okay?" He whispers, touching her elbow briefly to stop her.

"Marinette?" Alya asks, raising an eyebrow. He nods. She bites her lip and seems to hesitate, an emotion he can't place flickering across her face before she shakes her head. "She's fine, just tired." She smiles at him stiffly and walks over to sit down across from her. He hesitates briefly before sitting next to Marinette, who's engrossed in something on her phone.

An awkward silence fills the table as both girls focus on their phones. Adrien pulls his own out, although there isn't actually a whole lot to _do_ on his phone; he mostly just looks at his photos. He glances up as Nino sits across form him, and he opens his mouth to start a conversation, but Nino focuses on his own phone and starts tapping on it, so he assumes he's texting someone. Alya appears to be doing the same and he briefly wonders if they're texting each other, but he pushes the thought away. _Why would they text each other when they're literally less than five centimetres apart?_

He glances at Marinette again, but she's tilted her phone slightly so he can't see the screen. For a moment he wonders if perhaps the three of them have a group chat that he's not a part of, but he dismisses the thought immediately. His friends aren't like that, and besides, it looks more like Marinette is scrolling rather than texting. He debates leaning over and seeing what's on her screen, but decides that if she wanted him to see she'd show him. Or at least not angle the screen away from him.

"What time is Kagami coming?" Nino asks, drawing his attention away from Marinette. Alya's frowning at him, but he's not sure why. Perhaps they thought he was being rude only focusing on Marinette?

"I'm not sure."

"You should text her." Alya blurts out. Nino shoots her a look, but Adrien nods his head.

"I will." He goes into his contacts and presses Kagami's, sending a simple 'When do you think you'll get here?' He waits a moment but doesn't get a response, so he puts his phone down. Their coffees arrive a moment later.

"Oh, sweet deliciousness," Nino says, inhaling the smell of his coffee, the same as Adrien's, greedily. "Where have you been?"

"In the coffee beans?" Alya jokes. Nino scrunches his nose at her and she giggles, scooting her chair closer to his so their shoulders are pressed together.

"So, what's this project that's been keeping you up all night?" Alya asks, turning to look at Marinette.

She blinks at her owlishly, as if Alya just interrupted her from a daydream. "Pardon?"

Alya shakes her head fondly. "What design are you working on?" She smirks. "It better not be that Cat Noir underwear set you designed." Adrien chokes on his coffee and Marinette's cheeks flush darker than they've ever been. And they've been pretty dark before.

"They were _swimmers_," She mutters, glaring at her best friend's smirk. Nino hides his grin behind his coffee cup. "And I was never going to make them, I just wanted to design them."

Alya smiles smugly. "For when you want to wear them."

"I'll _never_ want to wear them."

"Then why did you design them?" Adrien asks, unable to stop himself. Marinette gapes at him, as if she forgot he was there.

"I, uh . . . th–that's just what designers do." She mutters lamely, ducking her head to stare down at her untouched coffee. "You get an idea and you jot it down, even if you're never going to actually make it." She turns her mug around slowly by the handle.

"So what are you working on?" Alya reiterates, leaning her head down to try and catch Marinette's gaze.

"I was doing physics homework last night." She says, and Alya rolls her eyes.

"I know that, I meant your designing project." She smiles, leaning forward eagerly. "Come on, I want to know the deets of my favourite fashion designer." Something flickers through Marinette's eyes and Adrien frowns, concerned. It looks an awful lot like pain.

"I'm making my parents a quilt."

_No you aren't_! Adrien wants to scream out. He would know if she was making a quilt – that's kind of a hard thing to hide away, what with all of the fabric and tools that go into making it, and also, why would she hide that from him when he visits as Cat Noir? It's not like it's anything embarrassing, like the under–_swimmers_ that she designed would be.

"_Aww_!" Alya squeals and grabs Marinette's hand. Adrien doesn't miss the way Marinette seems to flinch slightly at the contact. _Maybe Alya's hands are cold?_ "That's _so_ cute!"

"Yeah . . ." Marinette smiles noncommittedly and pulls her hand from Alya's grasp with the intentions of picking up her coffee mug. "I think they'll like it."


	4. Slow Service

**Chapter Four – Slow Service**

"Hey," A hand brushes against Adrien's shoulder and he turns around, beaming when his eyes meet Kagami's. "Sorry I'm late."

"No problem." He gets up quickly and kisses her cheek in greeting, before offering her his chair. "Have you ordered?"

She shakes her head as she sits down. "I wasn't sure if I would have time to eat."

Adrien frowns, grabbing a spare chair from the empty table next to them and positioning it at the head of their table. "I'm sure you'd have enough time. Do you want me to go up for you?"

She hesitates and her eyes flick to the other occupants of the table. Marinette doesn't notice, once again caught up in her own thoughts as she stares mindlessly at her coffee, but Nino and Alya both smile in greeting – the latter's a little too tense to be completely friendly.

"I wouldn't know what to order." She says rather than answering his question.

"The sandwiches are good." Nino offers.

Kagami raises an eyebrow. "Which sandwiches?"

He frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I doubt all of the sandwiches are equally good." She doesn't miss the look Alya and Nino share with each other.

Adrien shifts nervously. "W–Would you like to share with me? I ordered a quiche and salad."

The smile she gives him is dazzling, and he feels the mild panic in his chest die down. "I'd love to."

"Great!" He sits down, beaming at her. She grabs his hand and interlaces their fingers, her eyes locked with his. "What about coffee? Do you want one?"

"No thank you. Mother wouldn't want me to have one; it may make me too jittery."

"You could get decaf." Alya suggests.

The look Kagami gives her confuses Adrien, although he doesn't let it bother him because it's neither a particularly rude look, nor his place to tell his girlfriend how to look at his friends.

"Or, I could just . . . not." Kagami says, shrugging. She opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted by Alya pushing her chair back from the table, making it scrape loudly against the floor.

"Why don't we go look at the bookshelves? Don't you want to read _The Cursed Child_?" She looks at Nino pointedly.

"Okay. Yeah." He shoots Adrien a brief smile before hopping up. He hesitates as Alya walks to the back of the café, where the bookshelves are. "You wanna come, Mar–Bear?"

"Hmm?" Marinette blinks up at him and he smiles kindly.

"The bookshelves." He points in their direction. He smirks. "They may still have that princess book you read all the time when we were kids." Adrien's ears perk up at the 'P' word, being reminded of his – well, Cat Noir's – nickname for her.

Marinette rolls her eyes but gets up. "I doubt it." Her gaze falls on Kagami and her smile widens. "Hi Kagami!"

"Hey." She smiles at Marinette and strokes her thumb across the back of Adrien's hand.

Marinette's gaze follows the movement and her smile falters slightly before she looks back at Kagami and forces it wider. "Sorry I didn't say hello earlier."

"It's fine." Kagami waves her hand dismissively and smiles at Adrien.

Marinette and Nino share a look and Nino rolls his eyes in the direction Alya went. "Last one there . . ."

"Goes to hell." Marinette finishes, her tone the same as one would use when simply discussing the weather.

Nino snorts. "Right. See you, dude, dudette." He nods at them in turn and walks with Marinette to the bookshelves.

Adrien grins at his friends' antics and turns back to his girlfriend. "Sorry, what were you–"

His words are cut off as Kagami cups his cheek and presses their lips together. His eyes slide closed and he tilts his head to deepen the kiss, bringing his free hand up to cup the back of her neck, entwining his fingers in her hair. She smiles against his lips and wriggles closer to him, her knee coming in contact with his thigh. Her tongue brushes against his bottom lip and he moans quietly, before pulling back. They both pant for breath, their cheeks flushed with exertion at their mini make out session.

Adrien grins at her. "Hi."

"Hi." She giggles and scoots her chair closer to his. His knee slides between hers and he drops his hand from her neck to rest on her thigh, his fingers just grazing the hem of her skirt. "You know," She has to clear her throat when he kisses the pulse point on her wrist. "You know, I'm kind of glad the service is slow here."

He smiles. "Yeah. It gives us more time to do this." He kisses her left cheek. "And this." He kisses her right cheek.

"And this." Kagami presses their lips together again. A plate being set on the table pulls them apart and they smile sheepishly, cheeks flushed with embarrassment, at the waiter.

"I've got a quiche with salad?" He asks, gesturing to the plate he put down.

"Thanks." Adrien slides it in between him and Kagami.

"And a salad sandwich with sour cream relish?" Adrien indicates to Alya's spot. "I'll be back with the other sandwich."

"Thanks. Oh, wait." The waiter turns back to him, tilting his head expectantly. "Could we have an extra set of cutlery, please?"

"Sure thing." He walks away before Adrien can thank him again.

"That wasn't awkward." Kagami says and Adrien smiles, stroking his thumb against the soft fabric of her tights.

"I should tell Alya her food is here." He says, but he makes no move to actually get up, not wanting to step outside of his and Kagami's couple bubble just yet.

She smiles. "Wait until your friend's comes. Then you can get them."

Adrien ignores the fact she doesn't appear to really know his friend's names. It's not worth getting into. "I suppose so." He leans a little closer to her and she lifts her chin expectantly, eyes drooping.

"I've got a ham and cheese toasted sandwich with a side salad." The waiter says, appearing at their table again. Adrien indicates to Nino's spot. "Is that everything today?" He sets the extra cutlery down beside Adrien's plate.

"Yes, thank you."

"Enjoy your lunch." The waiter shoots them a smile before scampering off, pausing a couple of tables away to collect some empty plates.

"Next time," Kagami says, drawing Adrien's eyes back to her. "We're going to find an alleyway and make out there so we don't get interrupted." He snorts.

"What's funny?" Alya asks, tugging a distracted Marinette and Nino along behind her, both engrossed in reading _The Cursed Child_.

"Nothing." Adrien says, reluctantly removing his hand from Kagami's thigh to pick up his cutlery. He nods at the book Nino's holding in between him and Marinette. "I take it he found the book."

Alya rolls her eyes fondly. "Yep." She nudges Nino's arm and he finally tears his gaze away from the book. "Come on, Potter boy. We need to eat."

Nino sends Marinette an apologetic smile. "I'll text you updates?"

"Please." She says, smiling at him.

Adrien's heart flutters when he realises it's a genuine smile, and he finds himself grinning inanely at her as she moves around the table. Kagami slides her hand onto his thigh and gives it a light squeeze to draw his attention.

She gives him a tight–lipped smile. "Perhaps we should look at the books later?" He nods eagerly.

"If you want to take one you need to bring one to trade." Nino says, finally releasing the book into Alya's hold so he can eat his food distraction–free.

"I wouldn't take one. I don't know where they've been." Kagami says a tad bluntly. Adrien bits his lip.

"I take it you don't use public libraries then?" Alya says, but before Kagami can say anything else she turns to Marinette. "Are you with us, girl? Or are you off with the fairies again?"

"I'm with you." She meets Alya's gaze briefly before looking back down at her lap.

Adrien tilts his head slightly to see what she's doing, but she's just fiddling with her fingers. Kagami nudges him again and he draws his eyes back to her, watching as she takes a bite of quiche.

"Great. So Lila was thinking that we should have a sleepover tomorrow night. She was going to have it at her house, but her mother is entertaining some of her work colleges – remember her mother's an Italian diplomate? – so Juleka's agreed to host with the help of Rose." Alya smiles, oblivious to the obvious glazed look in Marinette's eyes, giving away the fact that she is no longer listening. "I know you don't get along with Lila for some reason, but I think you should really start putting the effort in to be her friend." She smirks. "Plus, you'll get to see _Luka_." His name comes out in a sing–song tone and Marinette blinks herself back to the present.

"Luka?" She frowns, confused.

"I know, I know," Alya says, waving her hand dismissively. "You can see Luka whenever you want, but with him there it'll give you inducement to keep yourself in line." She props her chin on her hand. Nino glances between his girlfriend and his childhood friend nervously. "No girl wants to act like a bitch in front of their boyfriend."

Something flashes in Marinette's eyes that Adrien can't place and he frowns, leaning towards her a little. Kagami's hand drops back to his thigh and he leans back in his seat as she strokes her finger along the inside seam of his jeans modestly.

"You're right." Marinette says, smiling strangely at Alya. "But I don't think Lila would want me there."

"Of course she does!" Alya exclaims. Nino takes a massive bite out of his sandwich and chews quickly so he can take another. He avoids Adrien's questioning gaze. "Lila _really_ wants to be your friend!" She pulls Marinette's hand out of her lap and gives it a squeeze, beaming. "You'll see! Lila's just _amazing_!"

Marinette bites her lip and stares down at their hands. "I don't know, Alya. I kind of wanted to just stay at home this weekend."

Alya frowns, hurt and confused. "But you did that last weekend. And the weekend before. And the weekend before that. And–"

"Okay." She rolls her eyes and pulls her hand from Alya's grasp. "I'll think about it."

"_Yes_! That's a yes!" Alya beams excitedly and picks up one half of her sandwich, taking a bite. She moans in pleasure at the taste, relaxing back in her seat.

"Babe?" Nino asks, swallowing the last bite of his sandwich – he's a self–proclaimed stress–eater – and turning to his girlfriend with what he hopes looks more like eagerness rather than desperation. "Can I have my book back now?" He gives her puppy dog eyes. "I finished eating."


	5. Bullet to the Heart

**Chapter Five – Bullet to the Heart**

Marinette's phone chimes again and she drops her pen in favour of the updates Nino's sending her every other second. At this rate she'll never get her homework done, but at least she can cross 'reading a book via text messages from one's childhood friend' off her bucket list. Another text comes in before she can put her phone down and she grins inanely at it, sending Nino the appropriate emojis to document her feelings.

"Marinette, maybe you should–" Tikki's voice is cut off by Wayzz darting in front of her, slamming his paw over her mouth.

He glares at her. "Can't she just be happy for a little while longer?" He asks her quietly, so as not to let Marinette hear.

Tikki sighs and pushes his paw away so she can speak. "She needs to do her homework."

Wayzz raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. "Master Fu understood the importance of one's studies, but he also understood the importance of one's mental wellbeing." Tikki looks away from him guilty and Wayzz softens his expression, putting his paw on her arm. "Just let her have this. It's not going to hurt her." Before Tikki can reply, there's a brief knock on the skylight and the kwamis' only have enough time to duck into hiding before Cat Noir's standing in Marinette's room, leaning over her from behind.

"Hey _purr_incess." He grins at her.

She smiles, but doesn't tear her eyes away from her phone where Nino's sent her another two updates. She has no idea how he's finding the time to text her the information while also reading the book. If it were her, she probably would've forgotten their agreement by this point.

"Hi Cat."

"That's all I get?" He asks, putting a hand to his chest in a sign of mock pain. "'Hi Cat'? Not even a 'hey, how you going'?"

Marinette sighs and tears her eyes away from her phone to give Cat a deadpanned look. "Hey, how you going?" She tilts her head. "Better?"

"Much." He grins and grabs her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. She pulls it from his grasp and picks up her pen again, finding her place in the book with her finger. "What is it tonight?" He asks, trying to lift the book up to see the cover. She puts her hand on it to keep it against the desk.

"I need that."

"I know." He smiles at her, but she doesn't notice because she's busy writing her answer. Her phone chimes and her eyes flick to it, but she forces them back to her homework. It chimes again. "You're popular tonight." He tilts his head at her. "Should I be jealous?"

She snorts. "No."

"Who's texting you?"

There's something strange about his tone and she looks up at him. His expression is innocent enough, but there was something about the way he asked that makes her feel like he already knows.

"My friend Nino." She frowns, leaning back in her seat. "You know Alya?"

"She runs the Ladyblog, yes?"

She hums. "Nino's her boyfriend." Her phone chimes a third time and she grips her pen tighter so she doesn't pounce on it.

"It sounds like he wants to get a hold of you."

"He's sending me updates." She sighs and her willpower finally gives out. She drops her pen in favour of her phone and reads the texts greedily. She glances up at Cat and notices his confused expression. "He's reading _The Cursed Child_. When we were younger we used to read the _Harry Potter_ books together and we'd give each other updates to see what we thought of it."

He smiles. "That's cool."

She smiles fondly, thinking back to the simpler times, back before crushes and Miraculous' and liars that everyone believes. "We used to give each other notes with the updates at school."

"Wouldn't it have just been easier to read together next to each other?" He tilts his head at her, frowning, and she shrugs, putting her phone back down. "Then you could just talk instead of writing notes."

"We didn't really hang out that much at school." She picks her pen up again and moves onto the next question, but she's unable to actually concentrate on it.

"Why not?" He leans against her desk and grabs her phone when it chimes. Without the knowledge of the pervious texts, however, it makes no sense to him. "If he's still sending you updates than he obviously likes you."

She rolls her eyes and reaches for her phone, but he moves it out of her reach. "We're closer now then we were then."

He frowns, and her statement is enough distraction for him to let his guard down. She tugs his arm down and pries her phone from his fingers. _Claws?_ "Why?"

"Why what?" She sends Nino a smiley face emoji and picks her pen up again.

"Why weren't you close back then?" She glances away from him and he leans closer. So close he can count the freckles dotted across her nose. "I find it hard to believe a girl like you would never not be close to her friends."

She frowns, mulling over his choice of words. "'A girl like me'? What do you mean by that?"

His eyes widen and he stands up straight, starting to backpedal. "N–Nothing! I didn't, I wasn't, I–I mean." He swallows audibly and leans his hand on her desk, winking at her. "Y–You're great! Wonderful! Pawsome!"

She raises an eyebrow. ". . . Okay?"

He clears his throat and scratches the back of his neck, momentarily dropping his 'cool guy' facade. "I just meant that you're a really nice person and your kind to everyone and I can't imagine you not not having close friends your entire life." He glances up at her and smiles shyly. She frowns, trying to figure out where she's seen that smile before. "I didn't mean to offend you."

She shakes her head. "You didn't offend me." She smiles reassuringly. "I just . . ." She shrugs. "For future reference: don't say 'a girl like you' when you're talking to a girl. It doesn't always come off exactly . . . nice."

He bites his lip and tilts his head slightly, confused. "Why not? I was just trying to say that you're really nice and kind and–"

"I know." She cuts him off before her cheeks can flush too darkly at all of the compliments. "I mean I know now, since you explained it." She chews her lip for a moment, contemplating how to put her thoughts in a way that makes sense. "Do you know a lot about girls, Cat?"

Ladybug and Kagami immediately jump to mind and he feels his cheeks flush. They flush darker when a certain pigtailed classmate who may or may not be sitting in front of him and biting her lip in a way that his brain keeps trying to say is provocative when he _knows_ it's not replaces the two other girls in his mind.

"I guess so." The smirk ghosting her lips surprises him and he has to force his eyes away from her before he self–combusts.

"I don't mean in _that_ way, Cat." She admonishes lightly, and he is certain that if a match was to come in contact with his face it would alight instantly.

"I know."

She rolls her eyes in a 'sure' kind of way. "Look," She sits up straighter and he lean against her desk. Her phone chimes but she ignores it, her gaze focused on the cat–boy in front of her. "Girls are complicated. And they're also kind of sensitive, and _I_ can say that because _I'm_ a girl." She points at him, mirth dancing in her eyes. "_You_, under no circumstances whatsoever unless you want a kick in the balls, _cannot_ say that." He nods automatically even though she didn't pose it as a question. "Sometimes people – mostly guys, often other girls – say something that's supposed to be light–hearted but it doesn't feel that way to the girl." Her eyes meet his and any mirth in her eyes disappear instantly, her face becoming blank once again. "Words hurt. They feel like a slap in the face, a kick in the gut."

"A bullet to the heart." Cat murmurs and she nods in agreement.

"Yeah." She tugs on her pigtail. "The phrase 'a girl like you' is rather generalising, and that could be either good or bad." She makes a face and he leans a little closer to her. "Most times it's bad."

He studies her face for a moment and frowns, his face filled with concern. "I take it you've had some bad experiences with this?"

She puffs out her cheeks before releasing a breath. She deflates back into her chair and absentmindedly taps her pen against her notebook. "You could say that." Her eyes dart to his then away.

"Is . . . is that why you've been distancing yourself lately?" Cat doesn't think he's noticed anyone saying something rude to her – Chloé aside, and excluding the rumours Lila's been sending around the school that have started to slowly turn their class against their sweet, everyday Ladybug – but, then, he doesn't actually know which words hurt her. "Because someone's been hurting you with their words?"

She chews on her lip for a moment and he holds his breath, hoping, praying that this time she'll open up to him. "You could say that." She repeats.

He sighs, disappointed, but at least she didn't outright deny it. "You know you can talk to me about anyth–" His words are cut off by screaming and they both jump upright. Cat pulls his staff out, prepared to take off and stop whatever akuma Hawk Moth has created this time, but he hesitates.

A look of determination crosses Marinette's face and her eyes flick to Cat's. "Go."

He shakes his head, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. "Mari–"

"Go." She tells him again, and this time he does.

. . .

"Hey LB." Cat greets, sending her his signature Cat Noir smile.

She crouches beside him and they peer over the roof edge, looking down at the akumatised boy who's turning everything he points his giant lollypop at into a lolly – according to his monologue that the akumas always spurt out, his mum and/or dad wouldn't allow him to have a lolly before bed, so now he's turning everything into lollies so all of the kids in Paris can eat lollies before bed.

"You know where the akuma is?" She asks, her tone implying that this is not a social call, and that they need to get the job done as quickly as possible.

Cat tries not to let his disappointment show in his voice. "No, I just got here." She nods and reaches for her yoyo, preparing to swing after the boy. "Are you okay?"

She falters and almost falls off the roof. He grabs her arm quickly and she presses her hands into the roof tiles to balance herself. She releases a shaky breath and meets his eyes. It's only for a second, but the pain in them almost breaks his heart.

"Let's just get this over with."

He purses his lips and studies her face. The pleading look she shoots him makes him nod instantly. "Okay." He says, but she's already gone.


	6. Freaking Out and Sneaking Out

**Chapter Six – Freaking Out and Sneaking Out**

Friday ends up being a rather _trying_ day for Marinette.

Frist, Alya is hellbent on her coming to Lila's sleepover at Juleka's house, and no matter what excuse she comes up with – homework, babysitting, family dinner, Ultimate Mecha Strike III marathon, sewing, her period – Alya has a _list_ of reasons why she 'needs' to come to completely invalidate her argument.

Then they have another akuma attack over lunch, despite it being less than eighteen hours since the last one, which lasts until half an hour after school ends, meaning she gets home to an email from Ms Mendeleiv instructing them on their homework with a link to an instructional video to make up for what they missed during their classes (Ms Bustier would rather them be behind than learn something the 'wrong' way, which means every time there's an akuma attack during school hours they're another lesson behind pretty much every other school in the country).

_Then_ when she finally stumbles through the door to the bakery after running home after her transformation wore out, she discovers that when Alya couldn't get a hold of her to confirm that _yes_, she _is_ coming to Lila's sleepover, she stopped by the bakery and _told her mother_, who is now insisting that she should go despite it being _Lila's_ sleepover, and the fact that _Lila_ will be there.

Has her mother forgotten who _Lila_ is?

"But–" Marinette tries, but her mother cuts her off, clapping her hands excitedly.

"And this is a perfect opportunity for you to wear that new outfit you designed." Sabine pulls her daughter into a hug and kisses the top of her head. Marinette grudgingly wraps her arms around her mother and looks over her shoulder at her father pleadingly, but he seems just as excited as his wife. "Alya sounded so excited when she talked about the sleepover with me. She said you're giving each other makeovers and dressing up and playing _SingStar_, oh isn't that wonderful?" Sabine pulls back from Marinette and holds her at arm's length with her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"But I–"

"And you can take snacks!" Tom squeals in excitement and rushes past his girls to the counter to grab a pastry box. "You can take some macarons and croissants and I just came up with a delicious new tart–"

"I don't want to go!" Marinette blurts out, stepping back from her mother's grasp. "I'm sorry," She says, feeling guilt wash over her at her parents' shocked faces. "But I'm not going. I just want to have a quiet night at home with you two." She squeezes her eyes closed and clenches her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms to keep her tears at bay. "Please."

There's a beat of silence in which Marinette panics, wondering if perhaps that was too much and her parents are going to be _so_, _so_ worried about her and they'll probably send her to an insane asylum where they'll hook her up to a machine designed to wipe all of the crazy out of her brain but there's _so much crazy_ in her brain that she's not even sure if she has any _brain_ left and then she'll become this brainless blob, and at least she'll be safe during the zombie apocalypse because, y'know, _no brain_, but she won't be able to protect the kwamis and that means the miracle box will have to be passed onto someone else but she doesn't have anyone to pass it on to because no one knows her identity so she can't exactly leave them a note, and she's only fifteen; she doesn't have a will so how would they even get that note if she's brainless and can't think for herself and–

"If that's what you really want, sweetie." Sabine says, smiling kindly at her daughter.

Marinette blinks her eyes open and shifts her gaze between her parents, before a relived smile breaks out on her face. "It is. It _really_ is."

. . .

Adrien blinks his eyes open to his phone vibrating on his chest, where he'd dropped it before falling asleep. Apparently cat videos plus hardly any sleep can make you incredibly tired. Groaning, he pushes himself up so he's sitting and rubs his eyes to get the sleep out of them. He can hear Plagg snoring from inside the rubbish bin beside his desk even over the now slightly muffled sound of his phone ringing from where it's fallen onto his bed.

Sighing, he grapples in the dark, not bothering to turn his bedside table lamp on, and eventually finds where his phone fell between his legs. He looks at the screen – being blinded by the brightness of it in his dark room in the process – only long enough to see Nino's contact. Sighing again, he slides the green icon to the right and puts it to his ear.

"Hello?" He asks, voice groggy and still thick with sleep.

"_Dude_!" Nino's loud voice combined with whatever music he's playing makes him wince. "Where the fuck are you? I've been calling you for almost half an hour?"

"Um . . ." He runs his free hand through his dishevelled hair, already regretting answering. "Home."

"Well, you need to get down here." There's the sound of shouting on Nino's end and Adrien frowns.

"Where are you?"

"Lila's party. Well, I'm at Juleka's house, but it's Lila's party." The music gets louder, as if Nino's walked closer to wherever it's coming from, and Adrien winces, tilting the phone away from his ear a little.

"I thought she was having some kind of girly sleepover." Alya was complaining to him and Nino all morning about how 'annoying' Marinette was being for refusing to come. "Why are you there? You're not a girl."

"No shit." Nino laughs at his own joke and Adrien finally relents and swings his legs over the side of his bed, reaching to turn the lamp on. Upon inspection he realises he didn't completely get dressed after his shower and is just in his boxes, his towel still on the floor beside his bed where he dropped it before laying down. "Seriously dude, it's sick. You _need_ to come!"

"Nino, have you _met_ my father? I can't come."

There's more shouting on Nino's end and he says something incorrigible in response. He must bring the phone back to his ear or something because his inane giggling at whatever just happened fills Adrien's ears. "Just sneak out. He doesn't have to know." Adrien bites his lip nervously and Nino sighs at his hesitation. "Come on dude, I know you sneak out to meet Kagami. I may not stick my tongue down your throat, but surly I'm worth potentially getting into trouble for."

Adrien rolls his eyes even though Nino can't see him. He's also incredibly glad Nino can't see him because the memory of what Nino's talking about is coming back to him and is making this situation particularly _hard_.

"If my dad finds out I won't just be in trouble. I'll be under the earth." Nino laughs as if that's the funniest thing he's ever heard and Adrien frowns. "Nino, are you drunk?"

"Only on adrenaline, although there is alcohol here." His voice drops to a whisper as if he's sharing a conspiracy with him. "Don't tell anyone though, it's a secret."

"Don't worry, buddy. I won't say a thing." He knows the sarcasm in his voice will go undetected in Nino's present state, but he can't resist himself. "When did this sleepover turn into a party?"

"When Juleka's mum got an overnight shift at her work and said that there are no rules on her shit. I mean ship. On her ship." Adrien rolls his eyes. "Dude, seriously. You have to come."

"I don't know."

"Come on. Please? Even Marinette's here."

This grabs Adrien's attention and he frowns, tilting the phone back towards his ear so he can hear Nino clearly, ignoring the loud volume. "She is? I thought she wasn't coming."

"Neither did I, but she just arrived." There's some more shouting on his end, as well as a cheer and a squeal that Adrien assumes is probably either Alya or Rose upon noticing Marinette. "She looks hot. You should come to see how hot she is."

"Nino–" He hangs up before Adrien can finish his sentence and he groans, dropping his head into his hands.

"It's almost eleven, kid. Your dad won't know." Plagg says and Adrien raises his head enough to see Plagg's mischievous smirk. "If you leave now and get back at two, you'll get a good five hours of sleep."

He frowns, dropping his phone onto his doona. "That would only be four hours."

"I'm including you're cat nap." Plagg flips upside down to regard Adrien. "You should go though. Nino said the princess is there, and by the sound of it everyone else is drunk, so you should go so she isn't the only sober person there."

Adrien shakes his head even ass he gets up from his bed, walking over to his closet to get dressed. "Marinette may drink."

Plagg snorts. "Doubt it." He follows behind Adrien and watches with board eyes as he pulls on some clothes. "Plus, didn't you tell her you were looking out for her?"

"Yeah." Adrien shrugs on a random black jacket before sitting down to pull on his socks and shoes. "And I am."

"Good. Because I was starting to think you'd forgotten you're promise to her." He rolls his eyes at Adrien's glare. "You care about her, and even _I_ have to admit she's pretty great. I mean, she can make cheese sticks and cheese tarts and cheese cake and cheese–"

"She's more than the food she makes, Plagg." Adrien mutters, standing up. He ducks into his bathroom to fix his hair, and by the time he comes back out Plagg's holding his phone and some camembert out to him, both of which he dutifully puts in his pockets.

"Ready to go to your first party?" Plagg asks excitedly, and Adrien raises an eyebrow at him as Plagg darts into a pocket on the inside of his jacket.

"I've been to a party before."

"Nino's akumatisation doesn't count."

Adrien rolls his eyes. "I was thinking of Chloé's parties and Marinette's birthday party." He crosses his room to the window that he always leaves unlocked and pushes it open. "And why are you so excited? I doubt they'll be cheese there."

"I like watching my kittens kick back and have fun." Plagg says, shrugging. "And this is your first real _grown up_ party. With alcohol and sneaking out and stuff." He smirks at Adrien mischievously. "You should transform, it'll get you there faster, and save you trying to climb over that wall in the dark."


	7. Pink Lemonade

**Chapter Seven – Pink Lemonade**

"Oh my God, you're here!" Rose exclaims, tackling Marinette in a hug. Beside her, Alya giggles and winks, before heading off to get them a drink. "That is so amazing!"

"Yeah," Marinette says, but her voice is too quiet in the loud room, so Rose doesn't hear her.

She pulls back and claps her hands excitedly. "This is great! Lila will be _so_ happy. _Oh_! And Luka's here." She squeals again and Marinette smiles at the shorter girl's excitement. "You have to dance with him! Wait here, I'll go find him." She rushes off and Marinette lets the smile slip off her face, but she brings it back just as quickly when Rose returns a second later. "By the way, love your outfit!" And then she's gone again.

Marinette shakes her head and looks around the room, recognising her classmates and a few kids from the other class, as well as some older people who she assumes are Luka's friends. Most of the people dancing are couples – she recognises Ivan and Mylène, and Kim and Ondine – and much to her delight she spots Max and Alix dancing together, sending each other shy glances every now and then, but for the most part watching the people around them and their feet.

"Mari!" She looks up at the sound of her name and spots Nino on the other side of the room, near where the speakers are set up. He waves her over and she smiles, following the side of the boat around to him to avoid most of the crowd. "Hey! I finished _The Cursed Child_!"

"What? No way!" She has to shout to be heard over the music.

"Yeah! Do you want to borrow it? I can bring it by your house tomorrow?" He leans close to her so she can hear him better, their foreheads almost touching. "Maybe we can have a _Harry Potter_ marathon?"

"Yeah!" She grins at him and he returns it, mirth dancing in his eyes. "I'd love that. We haven't done that in _ages_."

He nods in excitement. "Can we skip _The Goblet of Fire_, though? I hate that one, he becomes such a dick."

"We can just fast forward through it." Nino says something else, but the song has changed and this one is louder than the last one. "What?"

He leans close to her and talks directly into her ear, his hat nudging the side of her head and his breath tickling her skin. "Sounds good to me. Do you want a drink?"

She turns her head to talk into his ear. "Alya's getting me one."

He pulls back from her and sticks his thumb up. She smiles. He says something else, gesturing to the other side of the room, and he's gone before she can ask him to repeat himself. She watches him make his way through the crowd, nodding at a few of their classmates. She loses sight of him, but he was heading in the direction of the eskies and the table where some pizza boxes are laid out, so she assumes he's getting a drink or something to eat.

The music gets too loud for her and she moves away from the speakers and leans against the wall to the house part of the boat. She absentmindedly watches her classmates dance and interact with each other, fiddling with her purse strap. While Wayzz decided to stay home – he didn't exactly like the sound of the innocent, girly sleepover Alya described to her parents when she came to pick her up – Tikki was more than happy to tag along (not that she would've been able to _not_ tag along, since Marinette needs her to transform into Ladybug).

She wonders at what point in Alya's confession to there being a party _before_ the sleepover part Tikki lost interest.

"Here you go!" Alya appears at her side and passes her a red solo cup – _very_ original of their year group. Marinette peers inside and watches the pinkish, redish liquid slosh around in the cup. "Have you seen Luka yet? He's gonna jizz his pants when he sees you in that."

Marinette rolls her eyes, but she feels her cheeks flush darkly. "Not yet."

Alya shrugs and sips her drink. She raises an eyebrow at Marinette, nodding at her drink. "Aren't you going to have some." She nudges her arm. "It might loosen you up; make you more fun."

The words are like a kick to her stomach, but she rationalises that Alya's probably at least a little tipsy by this point – she did leave the party to get her from home. If she was sober, Marinette's sure Alya wouldn't say something like that to her. Or she'd at least say it in a nicer way.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Pink lemonade and vodka."

Marinette blinks at her, expecting her to laugh and say she's kidding and that it's just pink lemonade, but her previous comment floats around in her head and she realises Alya's telling the truth. "Right."

She glances down at the drink nervously, wondering when exactly her friends started to grow up and act more like teenagers rather than kids, and how on earth she didn't notice. She brings the cup to her mouth, but keeps her lips pressed firmly together. The feeling of the cold liquid against the skin just above her top lip feels weird, and she brings the cup back down, coughing as if the liquid stung her throat. She wipes her mouth on the back of her hand.

"Good, isn't it?" Alya asks, and she nods dutifully.

"Yeah."

Alya grins at her before walking back into the crowd, bringing her own cup to her lips to take another sip. Marinette looks down at her drink, wondering what to do with it, when her classmates call out and someone cheers. She scans the crowd before looking towards the entrance to the houseboat and spots Nino pulling Adrien into a headlock, grinning inanely at something Kim's saying to them. She watches Adrien flail for a bit before Nino releases him, ruffling his hair good–naturedly to mess it up. Adrien laughs, but the music and the conversations going on around her are too loud for her to hear him.

She smiles to herself and watches Adrien greet their fellow classmates. Even though she doubts he will, she keeps waiting for his eyes to meet hers and for him to smile at her like he's been doing lately. Like he actually maybe cares about her. The longer he doesn't notice her, the more she sinks back into her fog until she's enveloped in her own little world of loneliness and sadness. She looks down at her drink and wonders if perhaps drinking it will make her feel better, make someone notice her. But she also wonders what Master Fu would think of her. Right now. In this moment. Debating whether or not she should let alcohol into her body for the first time in her life. She chews on her lip nervously.

_Master Fu isn't here_, she tells herself. _He's never going to be here; you're never going to see him again_. _He wouldn't remember you if he was here anyway, and it's all your fault_. Everything _is your fault_.

Tears prick in her eyes and she blinks them back quickly. On a whim, she lifts the drink towards her mouth, but she can't bring herself to actually take a sip. _You're a coward too_. She swallows uneasily and looks around for somewhere to sit her drink so she no longer has the temptation to take a sip.

"H–Hey Mari."

She looks up in surprise at the familiar voice and smiles, her eyes meeting Adrien's. "Hi."

He smiles at her kindly and shuffles nervously, gripping his own red solo cup in his hands. "Hey." He says again, glancing at her nervously. His eyes wash over her. "You look nice."

She looks down at her outfit – black tights, black skater skirt, pink long–sleeved crop top – before looking back at Adrien and smiling politely. "Thank you. So do you."

"Oh, thank you." He scratches the back of his neck and she glances down at her drink again. "Is that good?"

"I don't know. I haven't tried it." She nods towards his. "Is yours?"

He shrugs and smiles at her. "I haven't tried it either. Judging by Kim's grin when he gave it to me, I'm assuming there's alcohol in it." She giggles and his grins widens. He can't help but feel like they're sharing confidants.

"Yeah. Mine's got vodka in it." She stares down at the liquid for a moment before looking back at Adrien. She opens her mouth to say something but the music picks up again and it gets a little too loud to speak. She's prepared for that to be the end of their conversation – awkward as it is – but Adrien must have other ideas.

Blushing lightly, he steps closer to her until the toes of their shoes are pressed together, and he leans his head down at little until his fringe is almost brushing against hers. Her cheeks flush darkly at his close proximity and she has to remind herself to breathe. That turns out to be a horrible idea on her part however, because she inhales the scent of his deodorant and instantly wants to be buried in that scent alone. _What is wrong with her?_

"Is this okay?" He asks, seemingly noticing the conflict of emotions dancing across her features.

"Uh–huh." She says, her knowledge of the French language failing her yet again. She clears her throat loudly and sips her drink. The bitter taste of the vodka makes her gag and, even though Adrien is watching her intently, she spits the liquid back into the cup. "Oh God, that is _horrible_." She scrunches up her nose and resists the urge to wipe her tongue on her shirt sleeve to get rid of the taste.

Adrien laughs. "That's my decision made then." He takes her cup from her and winks. "Do you want me to search the kitchen for some milk?"

"Please." She smiles at him, relieved and a little grossed out that he's basically holding her spit in his hand. Oddly, he doesn't seem to mind. Or perhaps notice. He smiles at her again and moves towards the door to the house. "Wait, I'll come with you."

"Okay."

It's much quieter downstairs and they manage to find the kitchen fairly easily – helped greatly by it being the only room with a light on. Adrien dumps their drinks down the sink and rinses the cups out with hot water before drying them on a tea towel.

"That should be enough to get rid of the alcohol." He says, putting the cups down on the bench. Marinette's just about to open the fridge to search for the milk when a figure appears in the hallway.


	8. Milk

**Chapter Eight – Milk**

Marinette freezes, panic making her blood run cold. She squints, trying to make out who it is in the dark. As they move closer, she somewhat relaxes when she realises that whoever it is is too tall to be Lila. Her gaze flicks to Adrien and a sense of déjà vu washes over her at the expression on his face – a mixture of fear and determination – but she has no idea where she's seen it before. _Perhaps during fencing?_

"Hey guys." The figure says, and any leftover panic instantly leaves Marinette at the sound of Luka's soothing voice. He steps into the kitchen and smiles at them, before his gaze rests on Marinette and his expression softens. "Hi Mama–Marinette."

She smiles shyly. "Hi Luka."

"Hey." Adrien waves awkwardly, almost knocking the cups off the benchtop. He rights them, blushing heavily.

"Are you guys avoiding all of the noise?" Luka asks, although his gaze doesn't leave hers.

She nods slightly and grips the fridge doorhandle tighter, before realising that she's holding onto the fridge doorhandle and lets it go quickly, drawing her arms tight against her sides awkwardly.

"Yeah. We were looking for milk." Adrien taps his fingers against the benchtop, eyeing Luka warily. Marinette frowns at him, but he doesn't notice. That, or he ignores her.

"Milk?" Luka raises an eyebrow at them, his mouth quirking up on one side in an amused smile. His gaze shifts between them, before it comes back to rest on her.

"We don't like vodka." Marinette blurts out.

Luka laughs slightly. "No one likes vodka the first time. You have to drink a lot of it to like it." He pushes off the counter and moves across to her, standing a little closer than necessary for the space they're in. "We have plain milk and chocolate milk. Which one were you looking for?"

She gapes at him, a little light headed from his sudden close proximity. He continues to stare at her, waiting patiently for her to answer with that amused smile still on his lips. "U–Uh, um . . ." She clears her throat. "Plain." It comes out as a squeak and she feels her cheeks flush, but he just continues to smile at her.

"Okay." He reaches past her and pulls the door open. The cold air trapped in the fridge makes her shiver when it washes over her and she crosses her arms. He removes the milk bottle from the fridge. "Is plain milk good, Adrien?" He asks, finally tearing his gaze away from Marinette to look at the blond. Marinette follows his gaze and is surprised to see the annoyed and seemingly angry expression on his face. As if sensing her eyes on him, his gaze flicks to her and he smiles. When he looks back at Luka the expression from before returns to his eyes while the smile stays, although she notices it's a little more forced now.

"Yeah. Fine." He smiles tensely at Luka and grabs the cups. He stands close to her; so close that his arm brushes against hers when he holds the cups out for Luka to pour the milk into. "Here you go, pr–Mari." He smiles at her, hoping she didn't notice his slip up.

She takes the offered cup from him – they've both forgotten which one was originally hers – and takes a sip gratefully. "Thank you." She looks back at Luka and smiles. "Thanks Luka."

"No problem." He grins at her, screwing the lid back onto the milk. He puts it back in the fridge and shuts the door before stepping back from her to give her some more space, and she releases a breath she didn't realise she was holding. "Are you guys having fun?"

"Um, yeah." Adrien glances at her and she nods in agreement. "It's a little . . ."

"Crazy." Marinette finishes and Adrien grins at her, his expression softening in admiration at the amazing (and, like Nino implied, rather, extremely attractive) girl beside him. Luka clears his throat and they both look back at him.

"I'll leave you to it then." He moves to leave the kitchen, but looks back at them after a few steps and a moment's hesitation. "Uh, if you really need to escape the crazy, Jules and my room is through that door." He points to a door down the hallway. He forces a brief smile before nodding to himself and continuing down the hallway back to the top deck, leaving them alone.

"That was weird." Marinette says, frowning at the spot Luka just vacated. "Do you think that was weird."

"A little." Adrien admits, scratching the back of his head. He sips his milk. "Do you want to stay down here or go back up?"

She sighs and moves away from the fridge to lean back against the counter. "I want to stay down here for a while." Her eyes meet his briefly before dropping back to the ground. "Y–You don't have to stay with me though. You can go up."

"Why would I want to go up without you?" He asks, moving to lean against the counter next to him.

She looks up at him, her eyes filled with confusion, wonder and a little hope that refuses to die down. Similar to her feelings for him. "Oh?"

"Yeah." He smiles at her. "I mean, everyone else is drunk. Who else would I have an intelligent conversation with?"

Her smile falters and she nods, looking away from him again. "Yeah. Who else?" He mentally kicks himself at his failed attempt at a joke and bites his lip, looking away from her and cursing his bad luck. "So, uh . . ." She trails off when he looks back at her and she drops her gaze to the floor beneath her shoes. "Did you want to talk about something?"

_I want to talk about why you're so sad_. _I want to talk about why you're shutting us out_. _I want to talk to you about what's going on with you and Luka_. _Are you going out or not? He clearly likes you and I thought you liked him, but then you don't really seem to be going out, despite everyone thinking you're going out_. _I want to talk to you about why I feel so comfortable around you and like I never want to leave your side and seeing your smile makes my entire day brighter when I'm supposed to be in love with Kagami_.

_Kagami_ . . .

"You want to talk about Kagami?" She asks and his eyes widen when he realises he said her name aloud.

"U–Uh . . ." Well, it may be less embarrassing for the both of them if he simply agrees. "Yes?"

She raises an eyebrow, a smile ghosting her lips. "Are you sure?" Her expression turns serious and she frowns in concern. "You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to, I was just asking because you mentioned intelligent con–"

"No!" He cuts her off abruptly and she stops talking instantly, staring at him in surprise. "No," He says softer. "I want to talk to you."

She smiles and sips her milk again. He follows her lead and wipes his milk moustache away self–consciously. They lapse into silence and while it's not uncomfortable, it is a tad awkward after his sudden outburst.

She clears her throat and he glances at her expectantly. "Was there something specific you wanted to talk to me about involving Kagami?"

Oh. Right. He has to talk about his girlfriend to his princess now. _Great_. "Um . . . I don't know."

"Okay."

They smile at each other awkwardly and sip their respective drinks, more so to have something to do rather than just waiting for one of them to start talking.

"Uh . . . so, how are you two doing?" She asks eventually, putting her empty cup on the bench beside her.

"We're good. Our parents approve of our relationship and our fencing partnership hasn't been affected by our personal relationship. We get along well. We go to many of the same functions with our parents together so we see a fair bit of each other, and my father has allocated Sunday afternoons for time for Kagami and I to have dates, although they mostly consist of us participating in an extracurricular activity because that's what Kagami likes to do with her free time." He chances a glance at her and takes in her mildly shocked face. "W–We also make out whenever we can."

She snorts slightly. "Yeah, I saw that at lunch the other day." He feels his cheeks flush and glances away from her shyly. "How embarrassed would you be if I asked how _that's_ going?"

He looks at her in surprise. "Making out?" She nods shyly, looking rather embarrassed by her own question. "Um . . . it's good."

"Just good?" She tilts her head, studying him.

He feels his cheeks flush darker and wishes more than anything that it wasn't so bright in the kitchen. "I–I mean . . . it makes me feel good, and I certainly enjoy it, and sh–she seems to enjoy it, I just . . . I don't really have anything to compare it to because I've never kissed anyone else." _Except for Ladybug, but I don't remember either of those so they don't really count_.

"That makes sense." She smiles at him briefly. "I'm going to go to the bathroom."

"Oh. Okay." He watches her disappear and he bites his lip nervously, tapping his fingers against the benchtop absentmindedly. He hears a door shut further down the hallway, and not even a second later Plagg darts out of his pocket and hovers in front of his face. He sighs. "Let me guess, you want cheese?"

"Yes, but that's not it." Adrien pauses, waiting for the kwami to continue. Plagg looks at him pointedly. "_Cheese_?"

"Oh, right." He takes a wedge of camembert out of his pocket – how it never gets crushed he has no idea, but he puts it down to magic – and gives it to Plagg before the black cat kwami can bite his finger off.

"Oh my God, you are delightful!" He hums in pleasure, letting his eyes slide shut at the taste of the soft cheese on his tastebuds.

Adrien rolls his eyes. "What was it you wanted to say?"

Plagg swallows and tilts his head at his holder, giving him a deadpanned expression. "Do you realise what you're doing?"

"What I'm doing?"

He rolls his eyes. "Kid, you're going out with Kagami."

Adrien raises an eyebrow. "Yeah. I know." He frowns. "What are you going on about?"

Plagg groans and facepalms, muttering about his naïve, oblivious kitten. "Then why – I can't believe I have to spell this out – are you _flirting with Marinette_?"

Adrien splutters, his cheeks flushing darkly. "Wha–no, I–I'm not, why would–_Plagg_!" Said kwami bursts out laughing. Adrien pouts. "I'm _not flirting_ with Marinette!"

"Oh, yes you are!" Plagg giggles in delight, pointing at his holder. "Seriously, think back to your actions tonight." He smirks. "The only reason you even came to this party was because Nino said the princess is here."

"I didn't, that wasn't, I'm not . . . I don't . . ." Realisation flashes in Adrien's eyes and he freezes, jaw dropping.

"Oh kid," Plagg shakes his head, still giggling at the absurdity of the situation. "You _do_."


	9. Why Now

**Chapter Nine – Why Now**

Tikki watches in concern as Marinette drops her head into her hands, groaning quietly. "I don't understand why you're freaking out. Isn't this what you wanted?" She tilts her head to the side, studying her holder. "For Adrien to show an interest in you?"

"_Yes_!" She throws her hands in the air before wrapping them around her middle. "But why _now_? Why now when I'm finally no longer obsessed with him and I can hold a conversation and _my entire life is a giant mess_?" She groans in frustration and drops her face back into her hands.

"Plus he's dating Ka–"

"Not helping." She groans and Tikki rolls her eyes.

"I think he's a bit confused right now."

Marinette drops her hands and raises an eyebrow. "You think?"

The kwami glares at her. "Please leave the sarcasm for Plagg." Marinette rolls her eyes but smiles slightly. "Marinette, is it really so bad that Adrien _wants_ to be with you right now?"

Marinette chews on her lip and stares at the floor tiles beneath her shoes. For the longest time all she wanted was for Adrien to look at her the way he was looking at her tonight – and according to Alya, for the past couple of weeks, although she hasn't noticed. Like she matters to him. Like he cares about her. Like he . . . _likes_ her. As more than 'just a friend'. She just doesn't get why now. Why now, when he's going out with Kagami? When she's finally decided to give up on him, and for a while there it was almost, somewhat, maybe working a little bit? When her life is messier than a pigsty? When most days her brain is filled with so much crazy that she can't even think straight?

This brings on another question though. _Why_?

Why would he like her? Before now, she never really stopped to think what about her he could like; she just obsessed over liking him and figuring out a way to tell him. She knows why she likes him; because he's kind and selfless and intelligent and he's always thinking of others and even though he doesn't have the kindest people in his life he doesn't let that affect him and he's just an overall wonderful, amazing person and he gave her his umbrella even though she was rude to him and hadn't apologised for it. How could she compare to that?

Yes, she knows she is kind. Yes, she knows she can be selfless. Yes, she can acknowledge that in quite a few aspects of her life she is considered intelligent. But that doesn't mean someone's going to like her.

Even though people don't like to say it, she knows that teenage boys are shallow, no matter how kind they are. It's not their fault; they've got raging hormones and thoughts and urges that they're not in total control of and it messes them up. It makes them make decisions they wouldn't normally make if they could breathe in air free of lust and the smell of sex. Its why boys can be manipulated so easily by a simple act such as biting a lip, fluttering eyelashes, _smiling_.

When did _smiling_ become a message in boy's minds that translates to 'even though nothing else about me says so, I want you'? When the hormones messed them up, that's when.

Hormones, and what their male role models and the media and, let's face it, porn teach teenage boys and men that women are objects that are there simply for them to play with for however long they want until they get board or something sexier comes along. It's why even the few gentlemen left in the world can still treat women like the object they're led to believe they are. And women are no better; they're taught that if a boy likes you, he either ignores you, or is mean to you. They're taught that the ideal man is the one who treats you like a queen, but the one you're probably only ever going to meet are the jackarses who treat you like you are nothing more than body parts for them to fuck.

So why would Adrien possibly like her? Because he's a guy, and she's a girl, and the world is a messed up place where no one is actually truly happy because they don't know how to _be_ happy.

With her mind still whirling with her thoughts, Marinette takes in a deep, shaky breath and lifts her gaze from the floor to meet Tikki's. "Yes."

. . .

She finds Adrien where she left him in the kitchen, only now it looks like someone asked him to solve equilateral equations without a calculator in front of a live audience of judgmental teenagers. She stands beside him for a moment, waiting for him to tear his gaze away from where he's staring in shock at the fridge. After a long silence, she clears her throat louder than she intended to and he jumps, eyes flicking to her. She recognises two emotions in his eyes; fear and outright embarrassment.

"Are you okay?" She frowns at him in concern and reaches a hand up to feel his forehead. "You look ho–warm. You look warm." He flinches slightly as her hand comes into contact with his skin, but then he leans into her, letting his eyes flutter closed for a moment. A relaxed smile dances across his lips and she clears her throat again, dropping her hand. "You don't feel warm."

He blinks his eyes open and scratches the back of his neck. "I'm fine. I think it's just the heat of the kitchen." He grins at her.

She frowns, tilting her head. "Was that a pun?" Honestly, at this point she can't tell what's a pun and what's not. She needs to spend less time with Cat. Or at least less time listening to him.

His cheeks flush darker and he coughs awkwardly into his fist. "Um . . . no?" He smiles sheepishly. "I don't think so. If it was it was unintentional."

She hums in agreement and swings her arms awkwardly, gesturing towards the stairs where she can hear the party raging on without them. "Should we go back up?"

"Yeah." He smiles at her again. As she turns to leave, she swears she sees his hand reach out as if to grab hers, but she shakes her head to clear the thought. _You can't think like this now_. _You have to let him go_. _Especially since he may be unable to do so himself_.

They pause at the top of the stairs; mouths open slightly in shock at what is transpiring in front of them. If Marinette was unsure of whether she ever wanted to come to another school party again, she has now made up her mind.

The music has been turned up so loud she's surprised the police haven't been called yet. Everyone appears to be a little to a lot intoxicated, and someone's thrown up on the floor. Judging by the slightly grey tone to Kim's skin, and Ondine's visible concern over him as she crouches in front of him, offering him a water bottle, she assumes it was him. The thing that is the most worrying, however, is the fact that all of the girls, sans Ondine and Alix (who's standing one step back, arms crossed, a disbelieving expression on her face), have crowded together on the opposite side of the deck.

Marinette chews on her lip nervously and watches as they murmur to each other. Going off of their expressions, she assumes that something happened to one or more of the girl's and they're consoling her or them. Her unasked questions are answered when Alya looks over the heads of Mylène and Rose and spots her. Her expression hardens into a scowl and she pushes through the crowd, storming over to her. The girls' gazes follow Alya's movement, and just before she reaches her, Marinette spots exactly _who_ they were consoling and her stomach plummets.

"_Seriously _M?" Alya demands, stopping right in front of her. So close she can feel the rage radiating off of her. "What has Lila _ever_ done to you? Why would you even _do_ that?" She pokes Marinette in the sternum harshly and she grits her teeth against the sudden pain.

"Do what?" Adrien asks, putting a hand on Marinette's shoulder. He frowns at Alya, concerned and confused.

Alya's eyes zero in on Adrien's hand on her shoulder and Marinette shrugs it off before Alya can comment on it. She's already had the misled 'why are you leading him on when you know he has a girlfriend' speech from Alya on the way over, she doesn't want her to have more ammo because of something that probably (hopefully, maybe) doesn't mean anything.

Before Alya can say anything else – or Adrien can unknowingly make the situation worse by supporting her – she ducks around Alya and makes her way through the crowd. Her eyes briefly meet Lila's and the triumphant, self–assured smirk on her face makes Marinette's blood boil. Before she turns to look away, she notices a stain on the front of Lila's dress a similar shade to the drink Alya made her and she puts two and two together.

She hears someone calling her name as she walks briskly down the street away from the Liberty, but she doesn't turn back. If it's Alya, she doesn't want to deal with it. If it's Adrien, it will only make everything worse if she stops for him. If it's anyone else, she doesn't want to explain anything to them. If it's Lila . . .

"Mari! Wait!" It's Luka.

Her feet stop before she can tell them to, but she forces herself to keep moving a moment later. She hears his footsteps come closer, and then he's right beside her, matching her pace. He reaches out a hand to stop her but she pulls it from his grasp, quickening her pace a little more.

"Mari, please just wait."

She inhales shakily, biting the inside of her cheek. Her visions blurs with the tears that have built up but she refuses to let fall and she stumbles over her feet. Luka uses it to his advantage and jumps in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to come to a stop.

"Marinette, it's okay."

The amount of concern and worry in his expression is enough to knock down her last defences and she bursts into tears, hiding her face in her hands in an attempt to hide them from him. She feels arms around her and then he pulls her into his chest, murmuring in her ear that it's okay and if she wants to say anything he's there and if she doesn't he's still there, and it. is. okay.


	10. Trees and Flowers

**Chapter Ten – Trees and Flowers**

Saturday morning arrives and with it another photoshoot at the park near the school and, Adrien can't help but notice, the bakery. He sits on the foldout chair, sitting perfectly still for the people doing his hair and makeup, his mind still reeling from last night.

As soon as it became apparent that Marinette was leaving, he made to go after her but Nino grabbed his arm, preventing him. By the time he had managed to free himself from Nino – it helped that he was slightly drunk, although nowhere near as drunk as Alya appeared to be – and go after her, he couldn't see her. Deciding it would be easier and quicker for Cat Noir to find her, he ducked into an alleyway and transformed.

Cat bounded over the rooftops in search of her, every second he couldn't see her making his heart beat faster, thoughts running through his head over what could possibly have happened to her. When he did finally find her, it was in the arms of Luka, and he came to an abrupt stop, suddenly unsure of what he was supposed to do. The longer he stayed on the roof, hidden from their sight, the more hurt flooded through his chest until he couldn't take it anymore and he ran off, his feet pounding as he sprinted and jumped along the surrounding rooftops until he was out of breath and his heart was beating hard for a different reason.

He circled back, of course. He wasn't about to leave his princess in just anyone's hands, but by the time he had gotten back to them they had begun walking towards the bakery, so he followed them. When they stopped outside the door to the apartments and Luka turned her to face him, he had to physically grip the edge of the roof to stop himself from jumping in and preventing what he knew was about to happen from happening.

He needn't have worried in the end, however, because no matter what Luka's initial intentions were, Marinette just gave his hand a squeeze and flashed him a brief, sad, smile before ducking inside quickly. Luka hung around for a moment, staring at the closed door in the hopes that it would open again, before he turned around and made his way back down the street.

The light in Marinette's room turned on and he smiled, telling himself that she wouldn't mind a visit from her favourite superhero Godcat. Without a second thought, he bounded across the street and up to her balcony. Last second, he decided to look through her skylight rather than simply opening it, and he is both glad and utterly embarrassed that he did.

Plagg couldn't stop laughing when he got home. He forgot that the kwamis have some sort of a sense of what is going on when their holders are transformed, but it never really worried him unless something embarrassing happened. Like seeing Marinette halfway through changing out of her clothes and into her pyjamas.

His cheeks flush at the memory but he forces himself to think about something, anything else so his cheeks go back to a normal colour. When he glances at his reflection in the mirror, he catches the raised eyebrow of his makeup artist and the amused smirk of his hairstylist. He flashes them a brief, innocent smile before dropping his gaze again. They both chuckle at the boy's blatant embarrassment.

"I don't even want to know what you're thinking about." His hair stylist says, spraying his hair with hairspray one last time before putting it on the caddy beside him. "But whatever it was it must've been good."

_And_ there go his cheeks again.

"Hush!" His makeup artist says, using her index finger to raise Adrien's head so he's looking straight. "I need Mr Agreste's natural colouring, not the colouring of a fire truck. Leave the boy alone." His hair stylist rolls his eyes, but does as he's told. "Think of something . . . less arousing." Adrien chokes on his saliva, his cheeks flaming even redder. Oddly, she doesn't seem to mind that he now looks like a fire truck _on_ fire. "Like trees. You can't go wrong with trees. Or flowers."

_Marinette's underwear had flowers on it_, his brain unhelpfully reminds him and he groans in annoyance, gripping the edge of his set to stop himself from dropping his head into his hands. His makeup artist laughs at his reaction. For the remaining time until he is released to change into the first outfit for the photoshoot – _jeans, button–down shirt, jacket_, he notes absentmindedly, not really caring what they look like – he keeps his mind strictly away from girls, flowers and the bakery across the street.

"Oh God, that was funny!" Plagg cackles quietly, darting around the small space to get some energy out before he gets stuffed back into Adrien's pocket.

Adrien rolls his eyes, replacing his jeans for the jeans for the shoot. He notes that those jeans are far tighter in the crotch area than his are, but after a brief moment of panic (because having _that_ show up at a shoot is not something he wishes to happen. Ever.) he realises it's just the make of the jeans and finishes dressing quickly.

"Yeah, hilarious." He mutters, slipping his feet into the shoes and lifting his foot onto the stool beside him to tie the laces. The stylists will probably retie them once he's in position, but it saves him tripping on them or getting them dirty on the walk over. He looks up at Plagg and takes note of his smirk. _Great, could this day get any better?_

"Don't worry, kid." The kwami moves closer to his holder and drops his voice to a whisper. "All guys get caught up on the first girl they see naked."

Adrien splutters, cheeks flaming red again. "I didn't see her naked!" He hisses.

Plagg rolls his eyes, undeterred by Adrien's outburst. "Half naked then." He tilts his head, studying the boy with amusement. "What do you think your girlfriend would think of you seeing the princess in such a state of undress?"

Adrien groans, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair but yanking his hand down last minute. He has no idea what Kagami would think of him, let alone _say_ to him, when he figures out what the heck he's going to do. He can't keep going out with Kagami when he lo–_likes_ Marinette, but he can't just break up with her. She loves him, and he _does_ like her. How could he not? She's passionate and confident and intelligent and beautiful and the kissing is great and they sometimes do a little more than kissing and they once almost did _a lot_ more than kissing and he can't just _break her heart_. Can he?

"Come on, Plagg." He says instead of answering. The kwami darts into the pocket of the jacket Adrien is yet to put on, still laughing.

As soon as he emerges from the makeshift dressing room – basically a tent inside the tent – Adrien's ushered off to where Vincent is waiting for him near the fountain. Today he's modelling with another boy around his age, maybe a year or so older, and a girl, Eloise, who he believes is the same age as him. Both greet him politely and he returns the favour, before they focus on Vincent and his spaghetti instructions. A billion photos later – some individual, some with just the two of them co–consistently, and a few group – they head back to the tent to change into a new outfit.

"I hear you got a girlfriend." Eloise says, bumping her elbow against his to get his attention. Vincent's busy instructing his assistant on where to move the mirror to cast the best light over them, because apparently the sun isn't enough, so they have a moment to talk. "There's a lot of pictures of you guys in the tabloids."

Adrien rolls his eyes. "Yeah. I know." He scratches the back of his neck and glances back at Vincent. "I don't think she minds too much. Or maybe she just understands that I have no control over it."

Eloise snorts. "Or maybe she's just using you for her fifteen minutes of fame." Adrien starts to protest but Eloise waves her hand dismissively. "I'm not saying she's like that, I don't know her well enough to make that judgment, I'm just saying that chances are you're going to experience someone like that in your life and it's better to keep an open mind so you're not blindsided by them."

"Or get pussy whipped." Adam adds, not sparing either of them a glance. Eloise rolls her eyes.

"What's . . ." He doesn't really want to say the 'P' word. "_That_ mean?"

"Pussy whipped?" Eloise asks and Adrien nods. "It's a derogatory term for men who are controlled by their female partner. Most people just say '_whipped_' though." She shoots an unimpressed look at Adam.

"Oh." Adrien scratches the back of his neck again, glancing back to the ground. Before he can say anything else, Vincent calls their attention and they shift back into work mode.

Two outfit changes later, they break for lunch and change back into their regular clothes so as not to ruin the prototypes. Rather than eat the – limited – food available to them, Eloise plops down beside Adrien's chair, pulls out her phone and starts showing him pictures of her girlfriend and telling him stories he tries his hardest to be interested in (although, who really cares about someone else's girlfriend and their failed attempt at buying flowers for their elderly neighbour whose husband was in the hospital, but every store they went into only had orchids, and only orchids in _pots_ for _planting_?)

"So, in the end she decided to get her a treat instead, like a cake or something like that, but she wasn't sure what kind of dietary requirements her neighbour had, so–"

"Could you shut it!" Adam exclaims, looking up from his own phone to glare at Eloise. "No one cares about your stupid girlfriend."

Adrien grabs her arm to stop her from hurling her phone at him. "I liked the story." Adrien lies, but Eloise still looks ticked off.

"You're just jealous because you don't have anyone in your life who cares about you!" She exclaims, before wrenching her arm out of Adrien's grasp and storming away.

"Bitch." Adam mutters, and Adrien frowns at him, displeased.

"You don't have to call her that. You've obviously hurt her feelings."

Adam scoffs. "She's just tetchy; she'll get over it." He lifts his gaze from his phone again and smirks. "How long have you and . . . whatshername been shagging?"

Adrien splutters, flushing darkly. "W–We're not _shagging_!"

He raises an eyebrow doubtfully. "Yeah, sure." He rolls his eyes. "Like I'm going to believe that _Gabriel Agreste's_ son and his girlfriend don't get it on behind closed doors." He ignores Adrien's spluttering and stammers and leans forward in his seat so they're closer, dropping his voice a little so as not to be overheard. "What have you done? H on B? H on C? T on C? H on P? H in V? P in V?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Sex." Adam rolls his eyes at the blond's obliviousness.

"What are the letters?" He's not sure he wants to know, but he also doesn't want to be oblivious forever.

Adam gives him an unimpressed look, before sighing and sitting back in his chair, pushing his hair back from his forehead. "H is hand, B is boob, T is tongue, P is penis, V is vagina, and C is cl–"

"_Okay_!" Adrien says quickly, holding his hands out as if that will stop the word from emerging from his fellow model's mouth. "I get it."

Adam looks at him pointedly. "So? What have you done?"

"Um . . ." Adrien scratches the back of his neck and stares down at his half–eaten sandwich, no longer feeling hungry. "Nothing." His voice comes out too high. Adam will know he's lying and then word will get back to Nathalie, who will tell his father, who will pull him out of school and lock him in his room with no access to the internet so he won't have any contact with the outside world–

"Liar." He says and Adrien's heart falters. Adam laughs. "I'm not surprised; for someone who's only fifteen you're kind of a player."

Adrien frowns, momentarily forgetting his panic. "What are you talking about?"

Adam gives him a funny look, as if he can't believe Adrien's obliviousness. "I'm talking about your other girlfriends. Like that girl you modelled with who took a picture of the two of you in what was _clearly_ your room, and PJ girl from when your perfume ad came out." He shakes his head and glances over his shoulder to check where Vincent is, wondering how long this break is going to go on for. A smirk comes to his face, however, when he spots something far more interesting. Or, rather, someone. "This is going to be awkward."

"What is?" Adrien's still trying to figure out how to handle this situation, because the first girl is obviously Lila, and the second is definitely, without a doubt–

"PJ girl is here."


	11. PJ Girl

**Chapter Eleven – PJ Girl**

Adrien immediately jumps out of his chair and moves to stand at the edge of the tent, eyes scanning the surrounding crowd for Marinette. All he can see are his father's and Vincent's crews, and some fans who have shown up to watch. Finally, he spots a familiar head of hair behind the initial crowd, heading in the direction of the street. He sees Adam join him at the edge of the tent out of the corner of his eye, but then his focus is back on Marinette, as she's moved past the crowd and he can now see her unobstructed.

"She's kinda hot." Adam says, before punching Adrien's arm in a gesture that's meant to get his attention. "Oh, I forgot a sex act. Have had a BJ?"

Not bothering to even spare him a look – let alone an answer, because Adrien _does_ know what that one means – he steps out of the tent and makes a beeline for her. He hears Nathalie call out to him, but he ignores her and edges past the crowd quickly, almost running to Marinette's side. She must hear him approaching, because she doesn't look overly startled when he comes to a stop next to her, but he notices she still looks a little surprised, as if she either didn't know he was at the park or thought he wouldn't say 'hello' to her.

"Hey Marinette." He greets her warmly, beaming.

Forcing a smile, Marinette nods in acknowledgment before shifting her gaze to the scene behind him. "I think you're wanted." Frowning, Adrien follows her gaze over his shoulder. Nathalie waves at him, gesturing for him to come back because they're not done. "You should probably go."

Turning back to her in surprise at her abrupt exit, he grabs her arm lightly to prevent her from leaving. "We're on a break. I have a few minutes."

She chews on her lip, hesitating, before relaxing somewhat and gently puling her arm from his grasp. "Okay." She clasps her hands in front of her awkwardly, waiting for him to talk.

"Um . . ." He scratches the back of his neck, looking down at her outfit.

Today the jumper is actually her size so he can clearly see her frame (and, unfortunately, confirm that she has lost weight) and it's a white knit jumper with small, evenly distributed red and pink roses that have been embroidered on. The pattern immediately reminds him of the last time he saw her in something of that pattern – her underwear – and the words he was trying to say tumble out of his mouth in a manner of gibberish.

She frowns slightly and tilts her head. "Are you okay?"

"Y–Yep! Fine! Totally fine!" He grins at her manically.

"Okay," She says slowly, in a tone that reveals how little she believes him.

She tucks her hair behind her ear and his eyes widen when it registers in his mind that her hair is down. At the same time, he realises that what she's wearing and her hairstyle can only point to two conclusions; either the old Marinette is back (just with a new hairstyle that _definitely_ does not make _any_ part of Adrien want to thread his fingers through her soft, dark locks and kiss her senseless. Nope. No way.), or she's meeting someone.

"You look nice." He blurts out, immediately wanting to smack himself. He can almost hear Plagg's sarcastic 'smooth' where he draws out the vowel for as long as he can simply to make Adrien feel worse about himself.

"Oh, um, thank you." She smiles awkwardly and fiddles with her handbag strap.

"Are . . . are you going somewhere?" He utters eventually.

A quick glance over his shoulder lets him know that he has approximately two minutes to get back to the tent so he can get ready for the next outfit or he will be skinned alive by Nathalie, scolded by Vincent, and get a (verbal) beating from his father for his 'lack of responsibility' before being locked in his room for the rest of eternity until his father needs him for something else. But talking to Marinette is worth all of that.

"I am. Well, not right now." She bites her lip briefly, before her eyes widen and she waves her hands about her in an attempt to erase her last sentence from existence. "_I mean_, I am going somewhere right now, that's why I'm here, but it's not why I'm dressed up. Not that this is really dressed up or anything, because you obviously know what that looks like and I'm obviously not dressed up, but compared to what I've been wearing it is, but . . ." She forces herself to stop and takes three calming deep breaths. "I'm going to the store to get some things, and later I'm going to Nino's house for dinner and to have a _Harry Potter_ marathon."

Adrien immediately relaxes and releases a breath he didn't realise he was holding. It's only upon doing so he realises that he'd been dreading the possibility of Marinette going on a date. He mentally scolds himself for thinking he has any right to be jealous of anyone Marinette chooses to spend her time with when _he has a girlfriend_.

"That's nice. I didn't know you and Nino were that close."

As she opens her mouth to reply, running feet approach, then an arm is thrown around Adrien's shoulders. He buckles slightly under the unexpected weight. Adam grins at him before his eyes shift to Marinette.

"Hello." He smiles at her, although in Adrien's opinion it's more of a leer. He feels anger and protectiveness flicker in his chest as he fights the urge to grab Marinette and scream '_MINE_'. "I couldn't help but notice your . . . jumper. It's very nice, where did you get it?"

"Oh, uh . . . I made it." She says awkwardly, glancing between the two boys.

"Wow. It's gorgeous. Are you a designer?" She feels herself relax slightly. She was worried he was interested in _her_ rather than her clothes.

"You could say that." She twirls a strand of hair around her finger awkwardly, avoiding both boy's gazes.

"She's the best designer." Adrien says, ducking out of Adam's hold. He moves to put a hand on Marinette's shoulder or perhaps around her waist, but thinks better of it and just gestures to her as if he's presenting a product to a potential buyer. "She makes most of her clothes and designed a bowler hat that won one of Father's competitions and I wore it in a fashion show and–"

"You're clearly very talented." Adam cuts him off. Marinette fails to notice the way his eyes roam over her like she's a piece of meat, too busy frowning at Adrien and wondering what on earth's gotten into him. "What's your name?"

"Marinette." She says absentmindedly, turning to smile at him kindy. "And you are?"

He blinks at her, smile dropping. "You don't know who I am?" She shrugs apologetically. "Adam Pelletier . . . famous model?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." She smiles sheepishly. "I only look at the clothes, not so much the people wearing them." _Unless it's Adrien_, she grumbles to herself, still annoyed her feelings for the blond are refusing to disappear.

"Well, you're missing out." He winks at her and she pauses in apprehension, shifting her foot backwards in advance for if she needs to make an escape. Thankfully, before anything else can be said, Nathalie appears behind them and puts a hand on Adrien's shoulder to prevent him from leaving again.

"The break is over; you have to return to change and get hair and makeup touched up." She tells them stoically. She moves to pull Adrien along with her, but he stands his ground.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Marinette." Adam says, grabbing her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it.

She pulls it quickly from his grasp and wipes the feeling of his lips against her skin on her jeans as subtly as she can so as to not appear rude. "You as well." She smiles politely.

"I'll see you at school, Mari?" Adrien asks her.

She nods automatically, already backing away to continue on her way to the store. At this point, the trip to the store to get ham, some carrots, toothpaste, pads and Band–Aids that should've only taken her fifteen minutes is taking her closer to half an hour. No wonder her parents always accuse her of being late. "Uh–huh. Yep. Bye." She waves awkwardly and spins around, marching stiffly out of the park.

"Bye!" He calls after her. Nathalie taps his shoulder and he reluctantly turns to walk back to the shoot. After a few steps, her hand slips from his shoulder and she returns to her tablet.

Adam punches his arm to get his attention again. "So, you and PJ girl–"

"Marinette."

"Yeah, Marinette, you guys go to school together?" He nods. "What's she like?"

Adrien hesitates, the usual Marinette is Amazing speech on the tip of his tongue, but while it would usually take just mentioning her name for him to start talking about her – Kagami has certainly pointed that fact out on multiple occasions, as has Nino – he is reluctant to do so now.

"She's . . . kind." He finally settles on, shoving his hands in his pockets and biting his lip to stop the _amazing, incredible, intelligent, beautiful_ from coming out. At Adam's raised eyebrow telling him that isn't enough to satisfy his sudden curiosity with their everyday Ladybug, Adrien forces a smile. "And she's very talented."

"I saw that." Adam nods to himself and Adrien bites his lip again to stop himself from saying anything else because the entire portfolio of her designs is on the tip of his tongue and he shouldn't even know about them since she told _Cat_ not him. "So are her parents like ours?"

Adrien frowns. "Ours? What do you mean by that?"

Adam gives him a 'you know' look. "Like . . . for lack of a better word: important?" Adrien gapes at him and he scoffs, crossing his arms. "You can't have not gone your entire life knowing that people like us are better than people like them." He nods at the fans as they pass them. A few spot Adrien looking and start shouting his name. He smiles politely before ducking his head, knowing if he gives them any more or less it'll be a disaster.

"I don't think I'm better than anyone else."

Adam snorts. "Sure." Adrien opens his mouth to protest, but Nathalie cuts him off.

"Hurry up and change. Vincent is waiting and your father won't be happy if he hears you've been delayed by . . . fraternising." She gives him a look pointed enough to make him blush.

He clears his throat and nods robotically. "Yes Nathalie. Of course, Nathalie. I'll go change right now." He misses her amused expression as he rushes into the tent, almost stumbling over his feet in his haste to get away from the people who seem to keep trying to make him spill all of his dirty little secrets.


	12. Everyone Deserves Someone

**Chapter Twelve – Everyone Deserves Someone**

In the end, Marinette and Nino only watch the first _Harry Potter_ movie, then skip to the third – the best one – before starting to watch part one of _the Deathly Hallows_ before they get bored and move to Nino's room to listen to music together. Eventually, they find themselves in the same position they were in when they were younger, only now instead of the school library, it's Nino's bedroom. They sit beside each other, leaning against Nino's bed, sharing earphones to listen to Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale while doing their own thing; in this case, Marinette is working on her Chinese using an app on her phone, while Nino is typing out a script for a new movie idea on his laptop. The faint tapping of keys over the sound of _Heavenly Soup_ helps soothe Marinette, and soon enough she's more relaxed than she has been in weeks.

Like Marinette told Cat, Nino and her were never the hang–out–at–each–other's–houses kind of friends. They were more of the sit–together–in–the–library–and–read–_Harry_–_Potter_–books–and–listen–to–music–where–Chloé–couldn't–find–them kind of friends. Back when they were younger, before Alya and Adrien, Chloé was determined to isolate and control Marinette (and everyone, really, but mostly Marinette), which meant that anyone who got too close to her would be treated with the same treatment from the blonde until they left her alone again, when Chloé would go back to treating them the same as she had always treated them; with snide comments, threatening to call her daddy, and her haughty attitude.

This resulted in Marinette only ever being friendly with her classmates, because they didn't want to be friends with her because they didn't want to be treated the same as her, and while Marinette _wanted_ to be friends with her classmates, she never let that happen so they wouldn't ever be treated the same as her. It was with nervous–excited trepidation that Marinette accepted Alya's friendship – not that she ever really had a choice, Alya kind of just latched onto her and then refused to let Marinette let her go in a Stockholm syndrome kind of way – in the first place, helped greatly by the fact that, unlike the rest of their classmates (and their entire school, really), Alya easily stood up to Chloé and didn't take any of her BS.

Thanks to Alya (and only partly through being Ladybug, because she only transformed into Ladybug the second time to save Alya, and she still wonders what her life would be like if Alya had taken her bag with her when she left the classroom), Marinette was able to come out of her shell and stand up to Chloé and make friends. It took time for her to fully trust everyone, however, and to let her walls down, but once she did she was so grateful that they were her friends, and she quickly realised she would do anything to keep their friendships, even if it was at a disadvantage to herself. That's why she would bring them so many treats from the bakery, make their banners, design their costumes, become class president so Chloé had one less way to control them. That's why she would never say no.

In some ways, as Ladybug she became so used to helping people and not getting, or expecting, anything in return that she started to go by the same general rule she had made for herself in her civilian life. She would bring treats in, make banners, design costumes, and whenever someone tried to give her something in return, something more than a 'thank you' and a hug, she would become so flustered and reject any attempts at returning the favour, albeit nicely, that she basically trained her classmates to take as much as they wanted from her and not expect to have to give anything in return.

In other words, by the time Lila had completely isolated her – which was far easier than it should've been, in hindsight, if they really were her friends and really knew her and really trusted her – Marinette was a brilliant friend to all of her classmates, but her classmates where, knowingly or unknowingly, using her. And it was all because she taught them to, and she let them, and they just figured it was 'Marinette being Marinette' because they never really knew otherwise.

"That's some deep thinking." Nino comments, pulling her from her thoughts.

She blinks at him owlishly, wondering if she was muttering under her breath, but when he just appears to be making an observation, she smiles sheepishly. "Sorry. I have a lot on my mind."

He hums in agreement, not looking away from proofing his work. "Like what?" He glances at her and smirks. "_Luka_?" He sing–songs his name, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Marinette misses his look, having already looked back at her phone. It's turned off because she wasn't using it, and she traces shapes on the screen with her finger, tilting her phone so the light shines on it differently in order to see the patterns she is creating. "No. Just . . ." She trails off, biting her lip.

"Just?" Nino nudges her arm with his gently. "Just what? You know you can tell me anything."

Can she? "Can I?" She leans her head back against his bed and stares up at the ceiling. She feels him stiffen beside her slightly, and she rocks her head towards him and forces a smirk. "So, if I wanted to tell you about my previous obsessive crush on Adrien, you'd be fine with that?"

He grins, his eyes filling with mirth, and he shrugs. "Unlike Adrien, I'm not as oblivious as . . ." He frowns.

"Still not good at metaphors?"

"They're more Alya's forté."

"Hmm."

"Well, I'm not as oblivious as Adrien is – seriously, the dude has a superpower for it, I swear – and I _am_ dating your best friend, so I know pretty much all of your crazy schemes." He smirks at her.

She gapes at him. "Alya wouldn't dare!"

"I have a way of getting information out of her." He gets a faraway look in his eyes, and a flush appears on his neck, moving steadily up towards his cheeks.

Marinette giggles and shoves his shoulder jokingly. "_Ew_. I don't want to know about the intimate details of what you guys do."

Nino snorts. "Please, I know what you girls discuss when you have your sleepovers." He rolls his eyes playfully and leans into her. "And I know how much you liked Adrien."

_Like_, Marinette corrects in her head. She smiles softly, shrugging. "What if I wanted to talk to you about designing?"

"I would pretend to know what you're talking about, and try to look interested." He grins.

"What about hamsters?"

"I'd join in and then we'd spend the next two hours looking at pictures of them on Google."

She giggles. "What if I wanted to tell you about the gross, gory, intimate details of my last period?" She raises an eyebrow challengingly.

He raises one right back. "You get squeamish talking about papercuts; I'd call that a miracle. A gross miracle, but a miracle."

She shrugs noncommittedly. "Perhaps I've gotten better with age."

"Or perhaps you're diverting from what you're actually thinking about." He frowns at her, any mirth leaving his eyes and leaving only worry and concern behind. He removes their earphones, turns off the music and throws his phone onto his bed, shifting his laptop from his lap to the floor beside him. "What's going on with you Mari?"

Her eyes widen in surprise before she forces a smile, giggling nervously. "What are you talking about?"

His expression doesn't change. "I think you know."

She presses her lips together and shrugs, feigning cluelessness. He sighs and takes his glasses off so he can rub his eyes. Marinette plucks them from his fingers, grabs the microfibre cleaning cloth from his top bedside table draw, and starts cleaning them gently, focusing all of her attention on the task at hand. Nino watches her absentmindedly, squinting slightly to try and make out her expression.

"Do you remember when we were seven?" He pulls his legs up to his chest and wraps his arms around them, but he keeps his eyes on her, trying to read her (incredibly blurry) expression. He thinks he sees her nod, so he continues. "I think it was a Wednesday. Maybe a Thursday . . . I don't know; it wasn't Monday, and it wasn't Friday, and we were at school so it obviously wasn't . . . Anyway, we were in the library because–_oh_! It was Armistice Day! Remember? It was Armistice Day and we had to sit through all of the boring speeches and it was freezing and you forgot your coat so you were shivering the entire time and your lips went blue?"

"Yes, I do remember." She gives him an amused smile. "Mostly because I forgot my coat _every_ year because I always forgot we had to sit outside for three hours in the freezing cold."

Nino snorts. "Yeah, well, you remember how at the beginning of the day we went to the library to escape Chloé?" She nods. "Do you remember _why_ we had to escape Chloé?"

She huffs out a breath of air and leans her head back against his bed, momentarily pausing in her cleaning of his glasses. He reaches over to take them back, but she resumes cleaning before he can. "Because you were upset. Because your parents had had a fight." She lifts her head to look at him and he can only just make out the crease between her eyebrows she gets whenever she's worried. "Because you were five seconds away from crying."

He snorts unhumorously. "More like two seconds." He drops his head onto his knees, keeping his face turned towards her, but he closes his eyes. "We went to the back of the library, where they kept all the books on the different religions around the world."

"Because no one ever went back there."

He hums in agreement. "And we sat there and you knew something was wrong but you knew I wasn't ready to talk about it, and I started crying and I couldn't stop and you left." He opens his eyes and sits up. He swallows uneasily. "I thought you'd gone to get the librarian or you ran away because you didn't want to deal with my patheticness."

"You're not–"

"But then you came back. And you sat right next to me, grabbed my hand tightly, and started reading _Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone_ aloud to distract me as if that was completely normal."

Her grip on his glasses has relaxed to the point that when he takes them from her, she offers no resistance whatsoever. Upon putting them back on he sees the tears in her eyes and his own immediately water. He grips her shoulders and forces her to turn to face him.

"You have no idea how much I love you for that Mar–Bear." She giggles and a tear falls from her eye. She wipes it away and looks down at her lap. "You helped me more than you will ever know. You let me know that I wasn't alone and that you were there and you had my back and no matter what you would hold my hand and stand by me." He ducks down to catch her gaze, hoping the emotions swimming in his eyes will be enough to fully illustrate just how important these next few words are. "You gave me the strength to stand up to him, and if I hadn't done that he'd still be in our lives and he'd still be hurting us."

She frowns at him, confused. "But you didn't stand up to your father until he demanded your mum . . . you know."

"Get an abortion." He finishes, the word leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He has no issue with the act; he believes what you do with your body is completely up to you; it's just the thought of their possibly being a world where Chris doesn't exist makes him feel sick to his stomach.

"Yeah." She gives him a sad smile, more tears falling down her cheeks. "But that was when we were, like, nine."

"Yep," He pulls her into a hug and she clings to him, shoulders shaking silently with supressed sobs. He forces his own tears back and breathes unsteadily. "But I remembered that day, and I remembered that you were there. I remembered that I wasn't alone, and I realised that if _I_ wasn't there for mum, then _she_ would have no one, and _everyone deserves someone_."

Marinette frowns and pulls back from him, shifting her hands to his shoulders. He cups her upper arms and grips them firmly to prevent her from pulling away from him completely; he's not quite done hugging her.

"'Everyone deserves someone'." She repeats, and he smiles, nodding. Her eyes flick up to his. "I've heard that before."

"You've said it before." He blinks and a tear falls. She wipes it away for him before wiping her own tears away with the back of her hand. "You said it that day. I said 'Thank you', and you shrugged, gave me your Marinette smile and said . . ."

"Everyone deserves someone." Her expression softens as her gaze washes over him, reassuring herself that he is okay and he's not trying to give her some kind of hidden message.

"So," He pulls her back to him and rests his chin heavily on her shoulder, settling his arms around her tightly. His hands brush against her ribs and he inhales sharply. He's almost positive that last time they hugged she wasn't this boney. "Can I be your someone?"


	13. The Plan

**Chapter Thirteen – The Plan**

It's not exactly a secret to those who know Plagg that he doesn't like giving advice, and if he does give advice, it's that no matter what, cheese is the answer. However, only a select few people who truly know Plagg – Tikki, Master Fu, a couple of previous holders, and (not completely, but still a lot more than other's) the princess – also know that, while he doesn't show it as much, his heart is just as full as Tikki's is.

Plagg truly does care for his holders, he's just had far too many bad experiences with losing said holders and being hurt in the process that he has put walls up. Walls known as sarcasm, mischief and his ability to 'only ever love cheese'. Usually those walls stay up. Usually, he's even more irritable then he is being now. Usually, he doesn't have a holder like Adrien.

When Plagg first met Adrien, he thought, _Great, another snobby rich kid that's going to boss me around and not give me the camembert I need and deserve_. After the first five minutes however, he quickly realised that Adrien was different. Adrien is rich, yes, but he is also kind, curious, and so, so _sad_.

On top of that, he is also far too eager to please, and in the beginning Plagg milked that as much as he could. It isn't often he has been able to manipulate someone so easily, usually it's the other way around.

Then Plagg met Gabriel.

Gabriel is more Plagg's type; cold, heartless, manipulative. He is the kind of person he was expecting his holder to be. Plagg began wondering just how on earth a kid like Adrien could have possibly come from a man like Gabriel. Apparently, the answer is Adrien's mother, but Plagg is holding off on his verdict of that particular piece of information until he meets her (and he has a feeling that, one day, he will. He's just not about to tell Adrien so; that boy has had enough hurt in his short life; he doesn't need the risk of getting his hopes up only to have them crushed yet again. And if they were crushed by that, Plagg's sure Adrien won't be able to get back up.), especially after meeting Adrien's apparently 'lovely and kind' cousin.

All in all, Plagg cares for his holder, his kitten. He doesn't like seeing him lonely, sad, hurt, disappointed, heartbroken (although the boy _really_ has to learn to stop leaping before he looks). But he doesn't want to go through the pain of bringing his walls down only to lose his kitten.

However, watching him with the princess, seeing the way his eyes light up and feeling his heart beat just a little bit faster from his spot in Adrien's overshirt, and then watching the light dim, his heart beat falter, any possible happiness leave his body the second he's away from her, it makes Plagg's walls come down without his consent.

If Tikki were here, she'd say that he should let them fall completely. She'd say to 'follow his heart' or some nonsense. She'd say something so cheesy (and not the good kind of cheesy) that he'd immediately feel sick to his stomach. Or start crying at all of the pain he's suppressed for so many centuries.

Tikki's not here though. She's where she should be; with her holder, the princess, making sure she doesn't fall off the cliff or sink into that deep, dark hole known as depression. As much as Plagg loves Master Fu, if he could he would curse him with so much bad luck he'd probably by one of the one percent of people that die from sneezing too harshly for dumping such a big, dangerous, life consuming task that is being the guardian on a _child_. (Seriously, _what was he thinking_?)

So instead, when he witnesses Adrien breakdown when he thinks Plagg is lost in a food coma, when all the pressure sitting on his young shoulders finally becomes too much for the boy to handle alone, Plagg swallows his pride and does the one thing he swore he would never do again; he lets his walls down. Together they come up with a plan (mostly just Plagg comes up with a plan, because let's face it, Adrien isn't in the right frame of mind to come up with a plan) for how to deal with the situation that has brought this particular breakdown on; his relationship with Kagami, and his realisation that he is completely and utterly in love with the princess.

The plan is quite simple, if only he'd stick to it.

Step One: Don't initiate any romantic interest or contact with Marinette until a, he has figured out what to do with Kagami, b, he has talked to Kagami, and c, he is in the right state of mind. This means he is not to text the princess, talk to the princess (outside of greetings and general conversation), and is absolutely, under no circumstances whatsoever, _to visit the princess under the guise of Cat Noir_.

This particular part of Step One goes out the window the second he sees Nino's Instagram post of a selfie of him and Marinette, clearly taken in the former's bedroom. Both of their eyes are bloodshot, and Marinette still has a tear running down her cheek, but they're both grinning. The caption 'everyone deserves someone' confuses him, but the relief that being with Nino has seemed to make her at least a little happier makes his heart swell. This is immediately followed by jealously that Nino was able to make her happy instead of him.

So, rather than remain calm and think through his actions, Adrien transforms and Cat Noir bounds across the rooftops to Marinette's house. Luckily (or unluckily, depending how you look at it), Marinette has fallen asleep reading on her bed by the time he gets there, and he finds himself staring down at her through her skylight. Rather than the previous time he visited her without her knowledge – the memory of her standing there in her underwear is still imprinted in the forefront of his brain, no matter how much physics studying and not thinking about flowers and girls he does – this time there is no rush of blood to certain areas, no sudden and unexpected urges he has to suppress. Instead there's only shock.

Her bedside lamp is still on, illuminating her loft bed enough for him to see her clearly through her skylight. He's only seen her sleeping the one time, and then he couldn't really see her face due to her head being on his shoulder. Now, he can see her long, dark eyelashes against her cheeks, her relaxed jaw and slight gap of her lips as she breathes softly. Her hair is still slightly damp from her shower, and it frames her sleeping face in soft curls, brought on by it being air–dried. Her chest rises and falls with each breath, but that's not what catches his attention.

Her sleepshirt has ridden up to just below her breasts, presumably from her moving around in her sleep, and the sight of her ribs and hipbones protruding harshly through her skin, highlighted with shadows cast by the lamp, makes him cry out in horror. The only thing stopping him from breaking into her room and pulling her into a hug is the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. He would rather suffer through modelling with Lila again than wake her up from her much deserved, and much needed, rest.

Instead, he runs across the rooftops until he can barely keep his eyes open, when he collapses onto his bed, releasing his transformation, only so he can toss and turn until the sun is starting to emerge through the early morning clouds, where he finally falls into a fitful sleep, only to be woken an hour later by his alarm. He's still no surer of what to do than he was when he first realised exactly what he was seeing, and even Plagg is at a loss as to what exactly can be done. The only thought that really springs to his mind is, _does Tikki know?_ and if yes, _does she know just how bad it is?_

There's no time to really dwell on that, however, because Adrien has figured out at least one thing; he knows what to do about Kagami, so Step Two it is.

Step Two is rather simple; explain to Kagami that while he really does like her, he doesn't believe that they work well as a couple, and he wants them to go back to being just friends (_Hopefully_, Plagg thinks, _he'll phrase it in a less blunt way, but that's the gist of the matter_). At least, it would've been simple if he'd been able to actually get the words out.

Unfortunately, Adrien is a teenager, and teenagers have crazy hormones, and when you're current girlfriend pushes you down onto your couch, straddles you, pushes their tongue into your mouth, and removes their shirt to reveal their lacy black bralette that leaves next to nothing to the imagination, there is _very_ little else you can think about.

Kagami's lips latch onto his fervorously, her chest pressed flush against his. He's still wearing the jumper he put on this morning, but it's thin enough that he can feel her against him, even through her bralette, and it goes straight to his groin. He tries to keep his hands firmly on her waist or hips or back, but even the smallest movements she makes slowly breakdown his self–restraint. Eventually, she must get annoyed with how slowly he's taking things, because she pulls away from him, pushes his hands under her skirt so they're cupping her tights covered backside, and nudges the back of his neck down, shifting up onto her knees slightly so her breasts are in his direct line of sight.

The look she gives him (not so much filled with the love and admiration that he's used to seeing, but rather lust and mild annoyance that he's not _doing something_) is enough to spur him forward and he kisses and nibbles down her neck and across her collarbones. Her breathing quickens and deepens, and she arches into his touch, urging him down further. His nose bushes against the soft skin of her breast not covered by the lace and she inhales sharply, pressing even closer to him. He traces the edge of the top of her bralette with soft kisses and light nibbles, his hands shifting only slightly to cup her butt cheeks more firmly over her tights.

He's acting solely on instinct, and the little information he's learnt from overhearing conversations in the school locker room (admittedly, nothing he ever hears is _that_ descriptive, and most of the time he just tries to remember the key words so he can Google their meaning for later so he's not so oblivious and naïve next time), but judging by the slow rotation of her hips against his, it appears to be working.

When she removes her hands from where they're tugging on his hair (to encourage him to keep going or do more or to keep him from moving away, he's not sure, but either way his scalp feels a little sore and he hopes she hasn't pulled any hair out because his hairstylist would _not_ like that), he blinks his eyes open to see what she's doing. She flashes him a coy smile and reaches behind her to undo her bralette, clearly deciding that she's had it on for long enough and they need to make a move on. The realisation of what is about to happen is like a bucket of cold water over him and he reaches out to stop her before she can release the clasps, his thoughts running a thousand miles a second until they land on one thought.

_Marinette_.

"Wait." He pants the word, trying desperately to catch his breath. "Wait."

"What's wrong?" Kagami drops her hands from behind her back, her bra thankfully remaining in place and firmly clasped closed. "I thought you wanted this."

"I do. I–I did. I . . ." He covers his face with his hands and groans. "Kagami . . ."

"Oh."

The flatness of her tone makes him look back at her. Her face is expressionless, but while her eyes reveal her hurt, they also reveal something else; acceptance. As if she was expecting this. The look she gives him could only be described as cool indifference, although not mean, and he bites his lip nervously. She gets up from his lap, pulls her shirt over her head, adjusts her skirt, and picks up her coat, folding it over her arm. Aside from her kiss–bruised lips and the slight ruffle of her hair, she looks like they hadn't just spent the last half an hour making out on his couch.

"I . . . I'm–" He starts, not really sure what he's going to say besides from 'I'm sorry'.

"You didn't change targets." Kagami cuts him off, oddly calm considering the situation. He thinks again that she must have somehow predicted this conversation would occur at some point, but how would she know that when _he_ wasn't even sure it would?

"I–I tried." He swallows uneasily and drops his head back into his hands, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I really tried."

"I know. But it wasn't enough."

She purses her lips nervously, before she leans down and puts a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at her with tears of self–hatred for hurting her filling his eyes. She gives him a kind, sad smile.

"I'm not holding this against you, Adrien." She shrugs slightly. "Yes, we get along great, we are compatible, but . . ." She shakes her head slightly. "You're my friend. And . . . I think you've _always_ been my friend." She gives his shoulder a slight squeeze and stands up straight, moving back a step so she's not towering over him. She offers him a rare, mirth–filled smirk. "I do have to say, I am going to miss our make out sessions."

He snorts, nodding his agreement. "Yeah. They were pretty great." He smiles up at her.

Her smile turns more pointed, and she waves her hand in a gesture meant to signify what just took place before he opened his mouth. "I think this one takes the cake though." His cheeks flush darkly and she smiles, satisfied. She starts to move towards the door but pauses. "And Adrien?"

"Yeah?" He looks over the back of the couch at her.

Her expression hardens, but her lips lift in a smirk. "If you hurt her, I will kill you." Before he can question exactly _who_ she is referring to (although he does have a faint idea for once), she walks through his bedroom door, shutting it gently behind her.

The sound of it clicking shut is the only sound that fills the room for a while until what he just did catches up with him and he curls up on the couch, barley suppressing his sobs at the realisation that this was the end of his first relationship, and his connection to this incredible girl who so desperately wanted his heart.


	14. Tears of Betrayal

**Chapter Fourteen – Tears of Betrayal**

Marinette blinks at her phone, her gaze locked on the sheer amount of unread text and Facebook messages displayed on the screen. They're all from members of her class, both boys and girls. Over the past few weeks she has stopped reading any messages from her classmates, Nino aside (Adrien never messages her), but she has never gotten quite so many messages from all of them in one morning within the span of five minutes.

There's still fifteen minutes until class starts – she, herself, is standing at the door of her apartment building, about to step out onto the street when Tikki and Wayzz told her her phone kept going off – so that can only mean one of two things: either there's some kind of field trip they had to get to school early for which she's forgotten about and the teacher has told all of her classmates to find out where she is, or Lila's spun some other tale and everyone's against her again.

If it's the former, Tikki or her mum probably would've said something. If it's the latter, she would much rather go back up to her bed and hide under the covers until all of her problems have disappeared.

As if sensing her train of thought, Tikki sticks her head out of Marinette's purse and clears her throat to get her holder's attention. "You should get a move on; if you're late again Ms Bustier will send a note home to your parents."

Marinette sighs, feeling a headache beginning to form, but she knows Tikki is right. Ignoring the messages – she's far too tired to deal with Lila right now – she silences her phone, before deciding to put it on airplane mode just in case. Doing so makes her feel just a tad bit lighter and she even manages to offer the kwamis a small smile as she tucks her phone back into her purse.

She keeps her head down for the walk to the classroom to avoid the stares of any students who have heard Lila's lies, and to, hopefully, limit any interaction she has to have with anyone before the bell rings. She can hear quiet murmuring inside the classroom before she opens the door, and she takes a deep breath before pushing it open, bracing herself for the impact.

There's a beat of silence, then arms wrap around her and she is squeezed to the point she's sure she hears her bones scream in protest. She looks over Rose's head to take in her fellow classmates faces, and is surprised by the amount of concern etched into their faces. Mylène and Alya rush forward and wrap her up in a tighter hug, squeezing her even tighter. The pressure of having three pairs of arms around her and the warmth emitting from their bodies starts to become too much for her and her breathing quickens. It takes everything in her to not yell at them to leave her alone or shove them off of her.

She doesn't have to do either.

"_Guys_, let her go!" Marc calls out. _Marc? What is he doing in the class?_ Marinette peers through the girls' heads to see him standing with Nathaniel and Nino, both of whom are looking on with worry etched into their expressions as if they've just been told she's dying of cancer or something. "You're going to hurt her and–"

"Oh, Marinette!"

The girls release her and she stumbles back a step at the sudden lack of arms around her. Alya immediately grips her shoulders and Marinette searches her and the rest of her classmate's faces, trying to figure out what the fuck's going on. Her eyes land on Lila's and her stomach plummets at the smirk gracing her lips. _Shit, this can't be good_.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Alya continues and she looks back at her.

"You know we would've supported you." Alix chimes in, gesturing to her and the rest of the class. Lila quickly switches her smirk to a supportive smile as Rose looks over her shoulder to smile at them.

"We've always been here for you, and we always will be." Mylène says, and everyone chimes in their agreement. Marinette flicks her gaze between them, still completely confused and at a loss of what to say. Unable to hold back any longer, Mylène tackles her in another hug, squeezing her so tightly she actually gasps in surprise at the girl's strength.

"Careful! You're going to crush the baby!" Nino springs forward and gently pries Mylène's arms from around Marinette. He slips his arm around her waist in a side hug. "She can't have too much pressure on her, especially during the early months–"

"_What_?" Her voice comes out louder then she expected and everyone jumps slightly, herself included. "_What_ are you talking about? _What_ baby?"

"Oh, Marinette," Lila saunters towards her, hands clasped in front of her as if she's praying, her face the perfect picture of concern and reassurance. Perfect except for the obvious glee shining in her eyes. "You don't have to hide it anymore." She puts her hand on Marinette's shoulder and she barely suppresses the urge to shrug it off immediately. "We all know, and we're all here for you." She bats her eyelashes innocently, smiling.

"Hide _what_?" She gets the words out through gritted teeth and Alya frowns at her.

"You don't need to be so defensive, Marinette." Alya's tone is condescending and it makes Marinette's skin crawl. She crosses her arms and cocks her hip, raising her chin defiantly, but her eyes remain gentle. "We just want to help you."

"Help with _what_?" She exclaims, pushing back from her classmates. Tears of frustration prick in her eyes but she blinks them away. "What are you going on about?"

"What are _you_ going on about?" Kim asks, crossing his arms.

Max tilts his head. "Perhaps she's experiencing some pr–"

"Yes! That is definitely it!" Lila cuts Max off, grinning at him broadly like he just cured cancer or ended terrorism or something. "I know the signs because back in Italy I used to help my neighbour with it. She even had it after she had her son. He was such an adorable little boy." She sniffs and wipes her eyes, before the crocodile tears start. All the girls flock to her to offer her comfort. Nino looks at Marinette worryingly and slips his arm around her waist again. "It was so sad! She was suffering from so much memory loss that she completely forgot she had already had her son! It was awful!"

She starts bawling her eyes out, and even Marinette feels a twinge of sympathy. A twinge of sympathy that immediately leaves her when Lila lifts her head enough to look at her. The look in her eyes is an obvious 'I'm getting attention and _you're_ not' and Marinette rolls her eyes.

"I just wish I could have done more for her, but I was _so_ busy helping Prince Ali with his charities!" She drops her head back into her hands.

The class cries out, telling her it's not her fault and they're sure she did all she could to help 'that poor woman'. Marinette shakes her head in disbelief and Nino's arm tightens around her, drawing her flush against his side. He whispers something in her ear, but it's lost in the noise of their classmate's comforting Lila.

"What's going on? What are they talking about?" Marinette asks, turning to face Nino. He frowns at her confused and worried, and reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"We know Mari." Nathaniel murmurs.

She frowns. "Know what?" She rubs where her forehead is pounding with her headache, frustration creeping into her bones. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"We understand if you weren't ready for us to know." Max cuts in before Nino can say anything. This draws the attention away from Lila yet again and Rose and Alya move back to her side. "But you don't need to lie."

"Yeah, that's not very nice." Mylène frowns at her, hurt, and Ivan wraps an arm around her shoulders.

"Don't gang up on her!" Lila cries out, sniffling.

She steps closer to Marinette, and Alya and Rose move aside to let her give Marinette a hug, but thankfully Nino stays put. Her eyes flash dangerously before she wraps her arms tightly around Marinette, trapping her arms at her sides. Marinette grunts and tries to get her arms free, but thankfully Lila lets her go after a moment.

"You don't have to hide this," She says, her tone gentle, her eyes dangerous. "I understand you feel ashamed, I would be too. I never thought this would happen to a girl like _you_!" The insult is implied and Marinette bristles. Nino grips her closer to him, frowning at Lila.

"What are you talking about, Lila?" Marinette matches her gaze, clenching her hands into fists. She can feel Tikki and Wayzz patting her side, trying to get her to calm down, but right now she doesn't care. She would love to see Hawk Moth _try_ to akumatise her.

Lila smirks and pulls her phone out of her pocket. "Don't worry, I took the liberty of alerting your parents for you, I know that would've been _so very_ difficult for you to do." She bats her eyelashes innocently.

She holds her phone out to her and Marinette drops her gaze to it before she can stop herself. At first she's even more confused, before she realises exactly what she's seeing, and what it looks like out of context. Her eyes flick back to Lila's and she clenches her jaw to stop from screaming at her. She is well aware that the look in her eyes reveals just how dangerous it would be to push her anymore. Apparently, Lila has a death wish.

"I'm sure you at least know who the father is, unless you're not as faithful as we all thought you were." She crosses her arms smugly, raising an eyebrow, _daring_ Marinette to fight back.

Before she can stop herself, Marinette's eyes search her classmate's faces until they find Juleka's. The look of anger and pain on her face kicks her into gear and, without saying another word to anyone, she turns around and marches out of the classroom. They call out to her, telling her to 'wait' and 'stop', but she ignores them, along with the stares of the few students still lingering in the courtyard.

Tears of betrayal prick in her eyes and this time she is unable to stop them from falling. She swipes at her cheeks angrily and quickens her pace further. She bumps into someone and mutters an apology, not even stopping to look at who it is, and breaks into a run, determined to get home so she can fix this fucking stupid mess Lila's gotten her into.

This time, that liar has gone too far.


	15. Flour Pudding

**Chapter Fifteen – Flour Pudding**

Adrien watches Marinette rush away from him. He hadn't been expecting to see her before he got to the classroom, and she's usually about five to ten minutes late, so he's been telling himself he'll have enough time to mentally prepare himself for seeing her once he gets to school. Now, however, he doesn't have much of a choice. So he hesitates, and when he finally does open his mouth to say something or to call out to her, she's already disappeared through the school doors.

Shoulders slumped and a death grip on his bag strap, he walks up the stairs to the classroom, trying not to think about the last thirty–six hours of his young life. He tells himself that it's fine, he's fine. Yes, he has realised he's in love with one of his best friends, the same best friend who he's not only seen in her underwear, but also that there is something very wrong with her right now, not to mention he's pretty sure she's already dating someone, and yes, he did just breakup with his first girlfriend and quite possibly destroy his father's business agreement with her mother, but he also _realised he's in love with one of his best friends_.

One of his best friends who bumped into him, muttered something that may have been 'sorry' and then fled the scene with tears rolling down her cheeks.

_Oh shit, she was crying!_ Adrien realises, coming to a complete stop outside the classroom door. He almost slaps himself, wondering how in the world he could have _missed_ that. And he didn't even call out to her! How could he have seen her crying, not realised, and then let her leave without saying _anything_? Oh, he is the _worst_ friend in the world!

"Adrien?"

Said person almost jumps out of his skin at the unexpected voice. Nino raises an eyebrow at him, before looking past him down the hallway. Because the classroom door is open, Adrien can hear the (overdramatic, so fake, _how can they _not_ tell_?) crying of their _favourite_ pathological liar, and the murmur of comforting words coming from all of the girls.

"Have you seen Mari?" Nino continues, still looking down the hallway. He pushes past Adrien to look over the railing and down into the courtyard.

"Uh . . . yes." He scratches the back of his head.

Nino spins around so quickly that Adrien is sure he's given himself whiplash. "_When_?" He demands, gripping Adrien's shoulders.

"B–Before. When I was coming into school. Sh–She bumped into–"

"Was she okay? Did she look angry? Upset? Was she crying? Did she say anything to you? Did you say anything to her?"

"U–Um–"

"This is important, Adrien!" Nino exclaims, shaking his friend's shoulders a little to illustrate his point. "You need to tell me! Where did she go? Is she in the bathroom? Did she go home? Did she run away?"

"I–I didn't see." Adrien cuts in quickly before Nino can continue his interrogation. "But it looked like she was heading in the direction of her house."

Nino frowns, releasing Adrien's shoulders to rub his eyes beneath his glasses. "Did she walk out the front doors?"

"Yes."

"Then we have no idea." He throws his hands up in exasperation.

Adrien frowns. "Why–"

"Because if you didn't actually see her go into her house then we have no way of knowing if she actually went home." Nino stamps his foot, cursing under his breath.

"You could text her."

"She's not answering." He groans, dropping his head into his hands. The crying inside the classroom picks up a notch. "Oh, for the love of God!"

Adrien jumps at Nino's outburst and shuffles a foot backwards, prepared to run in case he has to. "What's wrong? What's going on?" He glances back inside the classroom and eyes the girls surrounding the source of the crying. "Why is Lila crying?"

"Who fucking cares?" Nino mutters and Adrien's eyes widen, turning back to him.

"Nino," He berates, frowning at his friend. "I know that Lila isn't exactly . . . honest, but that doesn't mean you should disregard her feelings. What if she gets akumatised?"

"Then let her!" Nino shouts. He steps closer to Adrien, eyes shooting daggers straight to his soul. "It's not up to you to decide who gets hurt and who gets akumatised and who _lies_." The bell rings, but they both ignore it. "That isn't your decision!"

"Where is this coming from?" Adrien asks softly, shifting uncomfortably under his friend's gaze. Nino's eyes soften slightly, but he doesn't back down. "I never said it was my decision."

That is apparently the wrong thing to say, because Nino's eyes harden again. He drops his voice down to a whisper – more of a hiss, really – so their classmates don't overhear. "It was _your_ decision to tell Mari to take the motherfucking highroad."

Adrien's eyes widen in surprise, before he frowns and tilts his head questionably. "How do you know about that?"

"She told me."

Jealously flickers in Adrien's chest but he pushes it away. He has no right to tell Marinette what she can and can't tell people, and who she can and can't talk to. Even if he has been hoping she'd open up to his cat side before anyone else. _What is it about Nino that Cat Noir doesn't have?_

"It's good advice." He mutters, because he knows it is. If they ignore Lila she'll get bored and stop, and if she doesn't then she'll get caught up in her web of lies and then . . . and then he won't have to deal with it. "It works."

"With tabloids, maybe, but this isn't some flimsy gossip magazine that you can throw away and never think about and that you _know_ is a lie just because of where it's coming from." His gaze hardens even more and Adrien shivers. "This is our _life_, _Mari's_ life, and right now you not being by her side and helping her stand up to Lila is ruining her."

"I _am_ on her side!"

"_Then show it_!" Nino's voice comes out so loud it echoes around the hallway and silences everyone in the classroom. Adrien stares at him in surprise, tears pricking his eyes although he has no idea why. Nino deflates slightly and his cheeks flush in embarrassment. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Y–You d–didn't." Adrien mumbles, gripping his bag tighter. He wipes his eyes on the back of his hand hastily.

"Nino?" Alya calls from inside the classroom, appearing in the open doorway. "What's going on?" Her eyes shift between him and Adrien questionably.

"Nothing." Nino mutters, the look he gives Adrien telling him to agree and not say otherwise. The blond dutifully nods and smiles politely at Alya.

"Were you telling him about M?" Alya's eyes narrow suspiciously and she studies Adrien as if he's a missing piece to the puzzle.

"I was getting there." Nino forces a smile and slings an arm around Adrien's neck, ushering him into the classroom. "But we're already late for class so we should–"

"What about Marinette?" Adrien asks, and he has to quickly dodge the kick Nino aims at his feet. Before anyone else can say anything, Lila rushes forward and grabs his arm, starting up the crocodile tears again.

"Oh Adrien!" She wails, pressing her head against his chest.

He steps back from her hastily, his spine hitting the edge of Ms Bustier's desk, making him wince. Lila stumbles at the sudden movement, but Alya wraps an arm around her waist so she doesn't fall. She shoots him an unimpressed look. He ignores Alya and focuses his attention back on Nino.

"_What_ about Marinette?" He repeats, his tone coming out more demanding than he intended. Nino shifts uncomfortably and bites his lip, glancing between Adrien, the girls and the floor.

"She's up the duff." Lila answers, sniffling and wiping fake tears away. "I feel so sorry for her, but it's her own fault for not using the proper protection."

"Up the _what_?" Adrien frowns at Nino, ignoring Lila. "What's a 'duff'?"

"The Scottish meaning is 'decaying vegetable matter covering the ground under trees'." Max supplies, reading off his phone. Nino rolls his eyes. "Another meaning is 'a flour pudding boiled or steamed in a cloth bag', or–"

"Thanks Max." Alya cuts him off, shooting him a glare.

"So . . . she has a flour pudding?" Adrien raises an eyebrow. "That doesn't make sense."

A loud groan echoes through the room and everyone turns to look at Chloé. She ignores them and fixes her gaze on Adrien, leaning forward in her seat to prop her chin on her hand. She absentmindedly fiddles with the ends of her hair. "Adrikins, just _once_ use your intuition."

Alix snorts. "Chloé knows what 'intuition' means?" She asks under her breath, earning a few giggles from their classmates.

Chloé shoots her a glare, before looking back at Adrien. "Why would Dupain–Change need to use the 'proper protection' if she was decaying vegetable matter or had a flour pudding?"

"You mean an apron?"

Chloé closes her eyes and mutters something under her breath before opening them and standing up, hands on her hips. "Rossi is claiming that Dupain–Change is up the duff." She raises an eyebrow. "Knocked up. In the family way. _With child_." She crosses her arms and tilts her head, shifting her weight to one foot. "Do you get what we're saying _now_?"

"U–Um–"

"She's claiming Dupain–Cheng's pregnant." She huffs and sits back down, leaning back in her seat and holding her hand out to Sabrina so she can continue filling her nails.

"H–How do you know that?" Adrien's eyes dart over his classmates faces, stopping on Lila's. She quickly replaces her smirk with a grimace, but he still sees it. _Is that why Marinette has been acting the way she has? Is she pregnant?_ He thinks back to last night, her ribs_. Could she be making herself thinner so we can't tell?_ Another thought makes its way into his mind and his eyes seek out Juleka's. _If Marinette is pregnant_ . . . _who is the father?_ "She doesn't look pregnant."

"Well she is. She didn't deny it when we asked her." If this had come from Lila, he'd have assumed the 'asking' part was a lie, but Mylène is the one who says it.

"How do you know, though?" He crosses his arms, frowning at them. "If you had to ask, she obviously didn't tell you."

"Actually, she did." Lila says, her voice slipping into the sickenly sweet end of the spectrum. "I ran into her at the store the other day when she was buying a pregnancy test and she confided in me that she already knew she was pregnant, but her parents wanted her to be sure."

'I'm going to the store to get some things'. That's what Marinette said on Saturday. _Could this be true? Could Lila be telling the truth?_ Marinette didn't specify what she was getting at the store. _Could she have been getting a pregnancy test?_

As if sensing his doubt (or perhaps seeing it in his face), she takes her phone out of her pocket and holds it out to him. "I accidentally took this photo before we noticed each other." She smiles innocently at him.

The first thing Adrien notices is that for a so–called 'accidental' photo, it is remarkably clear quality, and quite obviously taken to show exactly what the (undoubtably Marinette) person is doing. It's taken from the side, with her face turned a little away from the camera so if he didn't know her (and hadn't seen what she was wearing that morning) he wouldn't have guessed it was her. Still, the pregnancy test box in her hand is as clear as day, as is the fact that she seems to be putting it in her basket.


	16. Third to Know

**Chapter Sixteen – Third to Know**

Before Marinette pushes the door to the bakery open, she takes three deep breaths to get her breathing back to normal and wipes her eyes to remove any stray tears. _I've had my cry_, she tells herself, _now I need to be strong_ . . . _so I can get through this quickly so I can go back to crying_. She feels some light taps on her thigh and she glances inside her handbag, smiling gratefully at the kwamis.

"Don't worry, Marinette. Everything will be okay." Tikki gives her an encouraging smile.

"Just tell the truth." Wayzz adds.

Marinette nods her agreement and looks through the glass door. She can see her mother serving a man with a newborn strapped to his chest at the counter, and thankfully she hasn't seen her yet. She squints to try and make out her mother's eyes – she can always tell from her mother's eyes whether she's been crying or not – but she's too far away to see. She watches the man thank her mother, then turn and walk towards the door while Sabine turns to talk to Tom. Marinette catches the end of her sentence when the man opens the door, and she steps to the side to let him pass.

"–think the next batch of croissants will be? We're down to the last . . . Marinette?" Sabine frowns at her daughter, having glanced away from her husband at the sound of footsteps approaching the counter. "What are you doing here, honey?"

Marinette grips her bag straps tightly and inhales deeply, trying to centre herself and calm her heart. "Y–You haven't checked your phones?"

Tom emerges from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a tea towel, as Sabine answers. "No? They're charging in our bedroom. Should I go and get mine?" She makes a move to step back, but Marinette shakes her head.

"No, I think it will be better if I tell you first." She bites her lip and shuffles her feet nervously.

"You haven't been expelled again, have you?" Tom asks, grinning so she knows it's a joke.

She doesn't crack a smile. "No."

Sabine frowns, stepping around the counter to put her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "What's wrong, sweetie? Whatever it is we'll be here to help you."

Marinette smiles ruefully, glancing between her parents. "You may not think the same in a minute."

Tom laughs, thinking it's a joke, but Sabine's frown deepens in worry, having recognised the look in Marinette's eyes. It's the same look that's been in her eyes for the past few weeks. When Marinette's eyes flick back to hers she smiles, rubbing her arm comfortably and pulling her a little closer to her side.

"Why don't we close the store for an hour or so and sit down upstairs with some hot chocolate?" She shifts her gaze to Tom's for confirmation and he nods.

"You don't have to do that." Marinette says half–heartedly. Truthfully, she had hoped her mother would suggest closing the store for this conversation; it wouldn't really be good for business should someone walk in and hear her parents yelling about their 'impure' daughter and make–believe grandchild.

"Nonsense." Sabine pats her arm before releasing her to turn the open/close sign and lock the door.

Tom holds his arms out to Marinette and she walks into them, winding her arms around her father's large, supporting, comforting frame gratefully. She leans her head against his chest, relishing in the simple feeling of being held be her daddy, and she feels the tears well in her eyes again. She blinks them away stubbornly.

. . .

"I can take a pregnancy test or get checked by a doctor if you don't believe me." Marinette finishes, keeping her gaze on her hands wringing in her lap and not her parents' gazes, although she can feel them on her and it takes all of her willpower not to squirm under their scrutiny. "I understand if you don't believe me." She bites her lip, hard, so she doesn't start crying again.

"Sweetie," She squeezes her eyes closed at her dad's voice, not wanting to hear their doubt, their anger, them asking if she's lying. "Of course we believe you."

She blinks her eyes open and looks at her parents, surprised but completely relieved. She resists the urge to sink to the floor and cry in relief. _At least the people who matter the most to me believe me_. "You do?" She still has to be one hundred percent sure.

Sabine smiles, scooting closer to her and wrapping an arm around her again, drawing Marinette to her chest for a cuddle. "Of course. Why wouldn't we?"

"You're our daughter," Tom adds, moving to sit on Marinette's other side. He wraps his girls up in a big hug, pressing a kiss to each of their heads. "We're always going to believe you over some classmate of yours that we don't know."

Marinette smiles up at her parents, finally letting her tears fall. "I know. I just wasn't certain." She sniffs and wipes her tears away, but more keep falling. "I thought you would think I got pregnant and I made a story up to hide it from you. I thought you'd be disappointed in me."

Sabine strokes Marinette's cheek with her thumb, clearing away another tear. Her own eyes are brimming with them, but she ignores her feelings on the matter for now. "We could never be disappointed in you." She murmurs, pressing a kiss to her daughter's temple. She smiles, her eyes twinkling with mirth, when Marinette lifts her gaze to meet theirs. "Plus, I would have thought if you were pregnant you would've told us yourself."

Marinette giggles slightly, pulling away from her mother's chest so she can sit up straighter. "Trust me, if and when I get pregnant, you'll be the first to know." She frowns, tilting her head. "Well, actually _I'd_ be the first to know, but you'd be the second." Her parents share an amused look, which is completely missed by their daughter. "Unless the baby's father is there when I find out, then I suppose _he'd_ be second, but I promise you two will defiantly by third to know." She smiles at her parents and they giggle.

"Hopefully that won't be for another five years, at least." Tom says, ruffling his daughter's hair good–naturedly.

"Lord, I hope so." Marinette agrees, shuddering a little. "I am _so_ not ready to be a mother." She's not even sure if she _can_ be a mother, what with being Ladybug and the guardian. The last thing she would want to do would be to endanger her child or children.

Plus, while she may not be the most experienced in the matter, she's does know it takes two to make a baby, and she's just the one. She's always going to be just the one; she can't risk getting close to anyone in case they discover her identity, tell someone, and then have Cat find out and (somehow) turn into Cat Blanc. She can't go through Cat Blanc again, it's bad enough experiencing it every night in her sleep.

"Where was Ms Bustier when this was going on?" Sabine asks, pulling Marinette from her thoughts.

"She wasn't there." She shrugs slightly and looks down at her hands in her lap. "Not that she would've done anything if she was." She mutters under her breath. Her parents bristle beside her, having heard what she said.

"It's her job to do something." Tom says, shaking his head. "Should we call Mr Damocles and arrange a meeting? That way we can clear up this whole 'pregnancy' thing?"

Sabine opens her mouth to reply, but Marinette cuts her off. "It won't help, and why should we say anything about Lila's lie?" She frowns at her parents, although there's no anger behind it. "That's just giving her the attention she wants."

"We can't let you keep going to school with them believing that you're pregnant." Sabine says lightly and Marinette deflates, biting her lip. Sabine frowns, sharing a worried look with Tom, before she cups her daughter's cheek and forces her to look at her. "Do you want to keep going to school? To _that_ school?"

"What do you mean?" She frowns, confused.

"When you were expelled the school didn't even look into it, they just took your classmate's words as fact and told you to leave." Sabine shakes her head, anger flickering in her eyes. "And before that there were all the times we went to see them about Chloé and they did nothing, and what about when we reported Nino's father after you told us some stories?" Her expression hardens and Tom slips his arm further around them to rub between Sabine's shoulder blades supportively. "If his mother hadn't left that . . . man, I can't even imagine what could have happened, and the school had the chance to stop it years prior but they did nothing." She strokes Marinette's cheek lovingly, smiling sadly. "I don't _want_ to imagine, and I don't want you going back there."

Marinette's eyes widen and she pulls back from her mother's grasp. "Mum? But, why?" She glances at her father helplessly. He has the same expression as her mother. "The school year's almost over, then I'll be at a new school with a new principle." She tilts her head questionably at her parents. "Is it really worth it?"

"Is it worth helping your mental health?" Tom murmurs softly, pressing a gently, fatherly kiss to her forehead. "You've been so . . . distant lately. If you think we haven't noticed I have news for you." He smirks at her playfully and she snorts.

"It's up to you," Sabine says, gripping Marinette's hands and giving them a light squeeze. "If you want to stay at Françoise Dupont then you can, but I would feel much better if you switch school or switch to online school and do it from home."

"You still have a few months of school to get through before you go to lycée." Tom adds, trying to remember what date the school year breaks up on. Or is it going to be delayed a little because of the frequent akuma attack disruptions? "If you think you can handle it and you want to stay then you can."

Marinette purses her lips, mulling over the options in her mind. If she had her handbag with her, she'd peek inside to see what Tikki and Wayzz think, but she had put her handbag in her room so she wouldn't have the temptation to turn her phone off of airplane mode.

If she stays at Françoise Dupont she knows that her mental health and stress levels with only get worse, not to mention that it's long since become her least favourite place in Paris, and possibly the entire world. But a lot of akuma attacks happen at school, and if she was at another school it would take her longer to get there, and if she was at home she's not sure if she'd even be able to get away, and if she did, what if her parents come to check up on her and she isn't in her room? But if she stays at school, she doesn't know what it's going to be like. She doesn't know what lie Lila's going to spin tomorrow, possibly an even worse lie then this one, and this one is pretty bad. And if she switches to home schooling, will that just confirm in her classmate's eyes that she's pregnant and just wants to hide it? If she leaves, who will stop Lila? Adrien? It's unlikely, he hasn't done anything to try and stop her or let anyone else know she's lying since the whole 'highroad' thing.

It feels like a lose–lose situation.

If she leaves Françoise Dupont, a lot of her stress with leave with it and she'll be able to focus on _just_ her schoolwork and not all of the people around her and trying to keep them happy, and she'll be able to better protect the miracle box because she be with it 24/7, and she'll be able to get away from Lila and her lies and her classmate's glares and Adrien's weird sudden obsession with staring at her all the time. But, if she leaves Françoise Dupont, she'll be further away from the akuma attacks and it'll (oddly) be harder for her to leave to fight them, and she won't be able to see the few classmates who aren't completely horrible to her as frequently or, possibly, ever again.

But if she stays at Françoise Dupont . . . she's not sure if she'll even be able to make it to the end of the year.

"I'll think about it." Her parents smile at her kindly and Tom tightens his grip on them, pulling them into a family hug.

"Take all the time you need." Sabine murmurs, pressing a light kiss to her daughter's hairline. "We'll support you no matter what your decision is."


	17. Dinosaurs

**Chapter Seventeen – Dinosaurs**

Cat Noir arrives at Marinette's balcony a little after ten o'clock. He'd wanted to leave that morning, but then Ms Bustier arrived, and then at lunch he was whisked away for a fitting that ended up lasting until after school had ended, after which he had his Chinese lesson, followed by a lonely dinner, and when Nathalie finally sent him to his room to practice the piano then catch up on the lessons he missed before going to bed at a reasonable hour, Plagg reminded him that he should do his school work before he goes to see the princess, because Adrien never knows what time he'll get home from visiting her.

But that was then and this is now, and right now it appears that Marinette is asleep, and he's seriously debating waking her up so he can give her a hug and tell her it's okay and that he's there for her and offer to cataclysm Luka for leaving her to deal with this – not that he'll mention him by name, since Cat Noir isn't supposed to know who he is – if he's left her to deal with this alone.

Cat chews his lip nervously, glancing between the direction of his house and Marinette's sleeping form. His mind flashes back to the last time he was here – her ribs, her hipbones, those dark circles – and with a deep sigh and one, last, regretful look at her through her skylight (he should probably mention to her that curtains would be a valuable investment) he stands and turns, pulling his baton from the small of his back and extending it in preparation for leaving.

"Cat?"

Marinette's voice scares the life out of him and he jumps into the air, landing on the railing in a crouch reminiscent to his namesake. He manages to refrain from hissing at her, but that's only because she starts giggling, putting a delicate hand over her mouth to stifle them.

"Are you okay?" She asks, still giggling.

Her eyes sparkle with mirth and he finds himself captivated with her. The moonlight shines gently on her hair and skin, illuminating them in a gentle glow. _Huh, glow_. _Like pregnancy glow_.

"Oh, of course _mademoiselle_." He slips into his overdramaticness as easily as stepping into a second skin, and he's rewarded with the fond eyeroll he is accustomed to receiving from his princess. "How could I not be when I've been graced with the beauty and presence of my pawsome _purr_incess?"

She raises an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms tightly and shivering against the cold night air. "You could be cold?" She suggests. Without waiting for his reply – "How could I be cold when I'm being warmed by your dazzling smile?" – she slips back inside her room and settles under her covers again, checking that Tikki is hidden – she is – before calling out to Cat. "You can come in."

Cat slips inside her room not a moment later, closing the skylight behind him with a grateful sigh at the warmth of her room. It's so warm it's actually borderline hot, and he wonders how on earth she's managing to sit comfortably under what looks like five different blankets while wearing fleece winter pyjamas with what looks like dinosaurs on them.

"Are those dinosaurs?" He asks, scooting closer to her so he can run his hand over the soft fabric covering her arm. At least he imagines it's soft, he can't actually feel anything through the suit.

"Mmhmm," She grins at him, using the arm he's not running his hand over to adjust the blankets around her. "I love dinosaurs."

"They scare me." Cat responds absentmindedly, thinking back to Animan when Ladybug leaped into the T–Rex's mouth. It took him weeks to stop having nightmares about her being eaten by the prehistoric creature.

"It's a good thing they're dead, then." Marinette says, shifting the arm under his hand so it slides along her wrist to her hand. She curls her fingers around his lightly, shivering at the cool feeling of the magic, leather looking material against her skin. She reaches her free hand across her body to pat the space beside her, in front of where he's kneeling. "Sit down." He does, not removing his hand from her grasp, and she shivers more violently as his arm brushes against hers. _Why is he so cold? How long was he out there?_ "You're freezing." She comments, but she still leans against his side, her eyes closing sleepily.

"Sorry," He says automatically.

He bites back a whine when she releases his hand, but then she pulls the blankets out from under him and throws them over his legs so he's under the covers with her. She stretches her feet out in front of her so he does the same – thankfully having a magic suit means that he doesn't pick up dirt or anything of that kind as he's racing across rooftops, so he doesn't have to worry about leaving a mess in her bed – and she yelps when his feet brush against hers.

"_Really_ freezing!" She exclaims, staring at him in horror. "How aren't you shivering?"

He grins and nudges his feet against hers again. She yelps, pulling them up and curling them beneath her. The movement tilts her more firmly against him and he can actually feel the slight vibration of her shivering against him.

"The suit keeps me pretty well protected." He responds. He feels bad for teasing her – she's obviously very cold if she's shivering – and he pulls her blankets up to her shoulders, settling them more firmly around her. She smiles, grateful, and rests her head on his shoulder, snuggling closer to him and ignoring the cold still radiating from his suit. "But how are _you_ cold? It's pretty warm in here?"

She shrugs slightly, finding his hand under the covers and wrapping her fingers around his again. "I get pretty cold easily. And the heat is from the ovens in the bakery." She nudges her head a little higher on his shoulder and he relaxes back against the pillows so he's not so hunched over, allowing her to comfortably rest the top of her head in the crook of his neck, her arm curled around his to hold his hand. Apparently tired Marinette is cuddly Marinette. "Heat rises; handy fact to know."

"I bet it's great in summer." He grins and lets his eyes slide closed, soaking up the affection she's willingly giving him. She hums in agreement, her other hand joining the first in holding his so it's enveloped in her warmth. "Did I wake you up?"

"No." Her voice is thick with sleep and he bites his lip. "I was awake."

"You looked like you were asleep." He murmurs softly. She stiffens slightly and lifts her head from his shoulder to look at him. He keeps his face turned away from hers, stubbornly keeping his eyes closed.

"You were looking at me?"

"You need curtains." He says in a way of answering. He holds his breath, expecting her to become upset or start lecturing him about looking through girl's bedroom windows at night, but then she snorts and wriggles even closer to him, letting her head fall back on his shoulder.

"Yeah," She sighs. Her warm breath tickles his neck but he refuses to squirm, should he accidently dislodge her. "You're the only one who can see through it though."

He swallows nervously. "You should still get them." He doesn't exactly want a repeat of seeing her in her underwear (at least without her–_nope_! No, not at all. He doesn't want to see her in any state of undress again. Permission or not. Nope. No sirree. No way.)

"Okay," She frowns, confused, but decides to let it go. "Was there a reason for your visit or were your 'kitty senses' tingling? again" She teases him, slipping her hand more comfortably into his so their palms are facing each other, fingers entwined.

This is it. This is his opening. She's basically asking him to ask her. _Right?_ He shifts slightly so he can see her face and she looks up at him expectantly. Her face is open and innocent, and not for the first time this day he finds himself wondering how this amazing, intelligent, innocent girl could possibly be pregnant, or could have even done the thing to _get_ pregnant. He just can't fathom it. The idea of his princess participating in an act as life changing and major as sex . . .

_Unless she wasn't participating_. The very thought makes his stomach churn and he gasps, clamping his free hand over his mouth to try and stop the sickening feeling brimming inside him. She frowns, concerned, and lifts her head off his shoulder completely. Keeping their hands entwined, she uses her free hand to rub his chest comfortably, drawing soothing circles across his sternum.

"Kitty? Are you okay?"

No. No, Luka wouldn't do that. He's not that kind of guy, he doesn't have a control issue, he has no issue with power. Cat's sure Luka would sooner destroy his guitar than hurt Marinette, he sees how much Luka adores her in his eyes whenever he looks at her; he'd never do anything to bring her harm.

"Kitty?" Her grip on his hand tightens.

Slipping his hand from over his mouth, he places it over hers on his chest and gives it a gentle squeeze, smiling at her as if he wasn't just hyperventilating. "I'm okay."

She raises an eyebrow incredulously. "And I'm secretly Hawk Moth."

He snorts and, on complete impulse (and absolutely, one hundred percent, nothing else), he leans forward and boops her nose with his. She blinks at him, bewildered, before a giggle–snort escapes her and she drops her head to rest her forehead on his shoulder, giggling uncontrollably.

"You're a dork." She whispers and he grins inanely, choosing to ignore how absurdly happy he is at being teased.

"I'm _your_ dork." He murmurs.

Marinette rolls her eyes, sliding her free hand across his chest and down to his waist so she's hugging him. She uncurls her legs and stretches them out next to his, scooting even closer. He turns slightly so his torso is facing hers and she shifts her head closer to his neck so she's using him as a pillow.

"You're cuddly." He murmurs, his breath tickling her hair.

"You're still cold."

He snorts again, leaning his head against hers. His arm is starting to go numb from being trapped between them, but so long as she's comfortable, he's comfortable. She pulls away from him a moment later and climbs out from under the covers, shivering at the loss of extra heat. He watches her, a small frown of disappointment creasing his eyebrows, climb down the steps from her bed and hears her open the trapdoor to downstairs. The sudden quietness of her room is a little odd and he taps his fingers absentmindedly together on his stomach, glancing between where her photos used to be – there's still some sticky tape stuck to the wall – and the skylight. Her trapdoor opens a minute later and he sits up to look over the bed railing.

"Are you hungry?" She holds up a container with chocolate macarons inside and his mouth immediately waters. Before he can respond, his stomach beats him to it. His cheeks flush and he presses his hands into it to quell the noise. She giggles. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Sorry, I didn't have much for dinner."

"How come?" She grabs her tablet from her school bag – and spots Tikki fast asleep inside, cookie crumbs still on her cheeks – before climbing the stairs to the bed. "Were you feeling unwell?"

He takes the container from her so she can easily climb under the covers. She settles beside him again, and this time he wraps an arm around her so she feels close to him without having to hold his hand between them and making it go numb. He uses prying the lid off of the container as an excuse to extend his response time (because he's yet to _think_ of a response), and he offers it to her but she shakes her head, drawing her legs up slightly to rest her tablet against them.

"I've already brushed my teeth."

She shifts to lean her head against him. He waits for her to repeat the question, but she must have taken his hesitance to be either not wanting to answer, or something to do with his identity, because she simply goes into an app on her tablet and starts typing and scrolling. He enjoys his chocolate macarons (not as good as passionfruit, but still delicious with a melt–in–your–mouth texture), but he limits himself to three before putting the lid back on the container and putting it to the side.

It's only when he glances at her tablet and takes a note of the time – almost midnight – that he remembers why he stopped by and he opens his mouth to start his gentle interrogation, but before he can she shifts the tablet a little higher against her thighs and he catches sight of the name of the website she's on.

He's almost certain he feels his stomach plummet straight to the centre of the earth.


	18. Drowning

**Chapter Eighteen – Drowning**

"Why are you looking at home schooling?" The words burst out of his mouth before he can stop them and she jumps at the sudden volume in the otherwise quiet room.

The look she gives him can only be described as guilty. "No reason." She says it too fast, too high–pitched.

Wanting to keep the mood light in the hopes he can get the most information out of her, he smirks. "You're not very good at lying, princess."

She huffs out a breath and runs her fingers through her loose hair to push it back from her face. "I know." She smiles at him tiredly and rests her head back on his shoulder. Due to the angle, he can no longer see her face, and he wonders if that is deliberate.

"Princess?" He curls his arm tighter around her, his hand resting gently on her hip, but all he gets in response is a small sigh. "Is everything okay?"

"You're my superhero Godcat, you tell me?" Her tone is almost sarcastic and he bristles slightly, biting his lip. She sighs again, letting her tablet drop into her lap. "Do you know what it feels like to be drowning but everyone around you is breathing perfecting fine and oblivious to your struggle?" She doesn't give him enough time to think of an answer, her words ringing in his head. "Why are you stalking me?"

"What?"

She turns to face him and he almost cries at the defeated look in her eyes. "Why are you stalking me?" She repeats. "I know you don't have a sixth sense or kitty senses or whatever you call it to know when I need you, and I know that before you started coming here we'd only met a handful of times; that's not enough for you to know when I change. So, why are you stalking me?"

"I–I–" Cat clears his throat, before flashing her the most dazzling smile she has ever seen. Her face remains the same. "I thought we established I'm not stalking you, I'm–"

"Cat." She shakes her head once and moves away from him so his arm is no longer around her. He sits up straighter against her pillows, pulling one knee up to his chest to wrap an arm around it. "I'm too tired for your games. Can you just tell me straight? So long as it doesn't reveal your identity." She adds before he can open his mouth.

He looks like he's about to protest, but then he nods. "Okay," He fiddles with the end of his tail and glances away from her, trying to gather his thoughts. "I . . . have a friend who is in your class." Her eyes widen and he holds his hand out to stop her from saying anything. "I'm neither confirming nor denying that I go to your school or that I'm even in your year, I'm just saying I have a friend who is your . . . classmate and he commented on you acting . . . differently lately, and I took it upon myself to check it out." He bites his lip, scratching the back of his head as he awaits her verdict.

She purses her lips, eyes studying his face as if the answers to the questions she doesn't want to ask are there. "Okay?"

He takes that as his cue to continue. "He didn't tell me a whole lot, he just told me that you're more closed off and that you don't really seem to be behaving around your friends the same as you used to. He thought it was because you were having problems with your prince." He tilts his head at her, wondering if he's close.

She raises an eyebrow. "My prince?" He nods. "I don't have a prince."

Cat blinks, stunned. _So, she and Luka_ . . . "Oh."

"Oh?" She repeats. "Does that surprise you?"

"A little." He admits. She rolls her eyes. "It's just . . . you're amazing and the thought that no one has noticed that never crossed my mind." She hums noncommittedly and gestures for him to continue. "Well . . . my friend must've been wrong then." He pauses, unsure of how he's supposed to get to where he wants to go without revealing that _he_ is his so called 'friend'.

"You said your friend is in my class?" She questions and he nods. "Is he friends with Lila?"

"Lila?" He repeats. Truthfully, he doesn't know how to answer that. If he says 'yes' she may not tell him anything, if he says 'no' she may become too curious about who else doesn't like her, and when the only people in the class who don't hang off Lila's every word are herself and Adrien . . .

"Lila was Volpina and Chameleon." Marinette says, taking his hesitance for trying to remember who she is. "She lies a lot."

"Yes, I know her." Cat rolls his eyes, exasperated. "I've met her in costume more times than I wish I did." This gets him a giggle from the girl and he beams. "Honestly? I'm not really sure. He doesn't mention her a whole lot."

This seems to be the right thing to say, because she doesn't immediately shut him out and end the conversation. "Was he in class today?" Her expression becomes blank again and he can only nod. She sighs and turns away from him slightly, looking back at her tablet. He thinks he sees a small eyeroll, but he's not sure. "I guess I don't have to ask why you're here, then."

"Princess–"

"I'm not pregnant." She interrupts him, keeping her gaze locked on her screen. She doesn't want to see his face, to see him questioning whether she's lying or not. "I went to the store on Saturday to get some things we needed at home, some Band–Aids, and when I took a box off the shelf it knocked off a pregnancy test and it fell into my basket, so I put it back on the shelf." Her jaw tightens and Cat puts an arm around her again, holding his breath until she relaxes against him rather than knocking him off. "Apparently Lila was there and apparently she _just so happened_ to 'accidentally' take my photo." This time it's impossible to miss her eyeroll. "I'm sure you can guess the rest."

"I'm . . . really sorry." And he is. He's also incredibly relieved that his princess isn't actually pregnant, but that still raises the question of the home school research. "But if you're not pregnant, why are you looking at home schooling?"

Marinette bites her lip, staring down at her tablet. The words on the screen blur together as tears fill her eyes and she tries her hardest to keep them from falling, but eventually her eyes get overwhelmed and one breaks free, running down her cheek furthest from Cat. She doesn't wipe it away in case he notices. She hesitates for a moment longer before turning her tablet off. She pulls away from Cat long enough to move it out of the way before settling back against him, curling into his side. She fiddles with his bell to keep her hands busy.

"Your friend said I had been acting different lately?" Her voice is slightly muffled because her cheek is pressed against his chest, but he understands her clearly enough.

"Yeah," He scoots down the pillows slightly so he's not so upright and rests his head against Marinette's, gripping her wrist loosely with his free hand and stroking it with his thumb lightly, imagining how her pyjamas would feel under Adrien's thumb.

"There's a couple of reasons for that." She flicks his bell and it jingles. "I'm not going to tell you them all; they're not really relevant." He loosely translates this to mean she doesn't want to talk about them yet. "I suppose the first thing is Lila." She sighs and snuggles closer to him, wriggling her arm not fiddling with his bell into the gap between his back and the pillow so her arm is wrapped around his waist. "One of my friends, Adrien, knows that she is a liar, but he didn't want to confront her about it when it first started. He still doesn't." She sighs again, this time a little sadder, a little more frustrated. "He told me to take the highroad, to ignore her and just let her get caught up in her lies on her own."

"What's wrong with that?" He murmurs, trying to keep the defensive note out of his voice. "I mean . . . I know some of her lies and they don't seem to really be hurting anyone."

Marinette pulls away from him immediately, sitting back on her heals to look at him properly. She frowns, a mixture or hurt and anger. "Not hurting anyone?" She questions and he swallows nervously. "Cat, she just told my entire class, my _parents_, that I was pregnant when I've never even had sex. I know losing your virginity isn't as big of a deal for boys, but it feels like she took mine from me, like she _violated_ me." He flinches and bites his lip hard enough for it to hurt. "And that _hurts_." Her eyes fill with tears again but she blinks them away stubbornly. "Have you ever had a rumour go around about you?"

_Only by the tabloids_. "Yeah, but they don't really affect me, I don't let them." He pulls his legs up to his chest and wraps his arms around them. "I know that they're not true and that's the only important thing." At least, that's what his mum always said.

"But it's not." She says, shaking her head sadly. "If someone went around saying that you had gotten a girl pregnant, you'd be hurt by that, wouldn't you?"

"Of course."

"And you'd want to tell everyone you know that it's not true?" He nods. "That it's a lie."

"Of course." He repeats, nodding.

"That the person who started the rumour was _lying_." He hesitates briefly, before nodding. "And you would expect to be believed because you would assume that the people you bother telling, those who matter the most to you, _believe you_."

"Y– . . . yes." He swallows uneasily, glancing away from her guiltily. "Yes, I would."

"Well, thanks to Lila I don't have that option. No matter what I say, no matter how I look, they're going to think I'm having a baby because they were told that I am." She wipes her cheeks on the back of her hand when she feels some tears start falling and she sniffs, drawing Cat's eyes back to her. "People are going to stare at me, whisper about me, _judge_ me for something I didn't do, and if I go by Adrien's advice, then I'm supposed to just rise above it and pretend that it's not drowning me." A sob interrupts her speech and Cat springs forward, pulling her to his chest in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Mari. I am so, _so_ sorry." He whispers into her hair, squeezing his own eyes closed so he doesn't cry; he can't cry, he doesn't have that right.

"It's not your fault." She mutters, returning his hug.

_But it is_, he thinks bitterly, wishing he could go back in time and tape his mouth shut so he doesn't say anything to her, or maybe, somehow, stop Lila from lying in the first place. "I'm still sorry."

They lapse into silence, filled only by the occasional sniffle, but they're content to just hold each other, to relish in the warmth and feeling of being held by someone they care about and who cares about them. Eventually, Marinette's tears subside and her eyes start to close. Knowing she's about to nod off, but not overly concerned by it, she pushes Cat back gently until he's laying against her pillows.

"Princess?" He questions, confused. She doesn't answer him, at least not verbally.

With their arms still wrapped around each other, she curls into his side with her head low on his shoulder, finally letting her eyes slide closed. Sleep doesn't immediately take her, despite how tired she is, so she is conscious enough to feel Cat's nervous breathing, his slightly increased heart rate, the hesitance in his placement of his hand on her waist. She doesn't know how long she lays still, eyes closed, willing sleep to take her, but at some point Cat shifts under her slightly and she blinks her eyes open briefly, shutting them immediately as the light coming from her bedside lamp invades her vision. She feels the blankets shift, and then they're pulled up to around her shoulder and she feels a slight, warm pressure on her forehead, the brush of a nose against her hair.

A kiss.


	19. Gentle Interrogation

**Chapter Nineteen – Gentle Interrogation**

Marinette blinks her eyes open to the sound of her skylight clicking shut. She can tell from the amount of light in the room that it's early, possibly before six o'clock, and she allows herself to just lay there, thinking about nothing. Curling into a tighter ball to preserve some of her warmth, her movement knocks the cookie container over and it rattles. Shivering, she sits up to move it further away. She blinks dumbly at the bright pink sticky note attached to the lid with semi–familiar writing on it. Plucking it off gently, she brings it to her face and tries to make out the small print in the limited light.

_I hope I haven't woken you, but I had to go home before someone noticed I was gone_._ I know that today is going to suck for you; I know that the rest of this _year_ is going to suck for you, but I've decided to talk to my friend and tell him to keep a look out for you_._ (He may not be a superhero or a cat, but I think he'll help to make school more bearable_._)_

On the back he's drawn a stick figure with a tail and cat ears (possibly himself) hanging from what looks like it might be the Eiffel Tower. Underneath he's written _Hang in there, purrincess_, and she smiles fondly, laying back down and pulling the covers up to her shoulders, but she keeps her hands out so she can reread the note again. And again, and again.

By the time her alarm goes off, rousing a sleeping Tikki from her school bag, she has the note memorised and has stuck it in the back of her phone case, with Cat's drawing facing outwards so she'll be able to look at it whenever she needs to.

"Morning Marinette." Tikki says brightly, nuzzling into her holder's cheek.

"Morning," She responds cupping her hands around the kwami in a hug before sitting up and turning the alarm off. "Sorry you had to hide all night; I didn't mean for Cat to be here so long." She smiles sheepishly. "And I didn't mean to have an impromptu sleepover." Her cheeks flush at the memory of how warm and comfortable his arms around her were as she was falling asleep.

Tikki waves her paw dismissively. "It's fine. I was in a cookie coma." Marinette giggles. "But Marinette," Tikki's voice turns regretful and her eyes become sad. "It's not safe having Cat come over; what if he figures out your identity?"

_Our love did this, Marinette_. She shivers violently as _his_ voice immediately invades her mind, those piercing blue eyes staring back at her hauntingly. Tikki looks even more sorry for bringing Cat Blanc up, and Marinette can't help but feel like _of course_ Tikki would choose the one day she woke up without having a nightmare, without having to remember fighting her partner, her best friend, her superhero Godcat, to give her a lecture about him coming over and not revealing her identity. She forces herself to not say so to Tikki – she wouldn't know if she had had a nightmare or not, since most of the time Marinette doesn't tell her – but in the end she doesn't have to say anything.

"Come _on_, Tik!" Wayzz exclaims, having caught the tail end of the conversation when he emerged from the phonograph (he likes to spend his nights there, so he's distracted by the other kwamis and thoughts of his old master don't cause him so much grief). "It's not hurting anyone! And Master–sorry, _Marinette_ deserves to have a friend, and Cat Noir is a _very good_ friend for her." He glares at his fellow kwami, and she has the grace to at least look a little ashamed.

"But Tikki is right." Marinette murmurs, wrapping her arms around her knees. "It's dangerous, and it's selfish of me to let it keep happening."

"It's _not_ selfish!" Wayzz cries, darting over to her and nuzzling into her cheek. "He's helping you, he's there for you, he's protecting you. Just let him."

Tikki gives Wayzz a withering look and starts talking to him – _Lecturing, it sounds more like_, Marinette thinks dryly – in another language so she doesn't understand. Deciding to just leave them to it, she climbs out of her bed and goes to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Because the bathroom is directly above the bakery, she can hear her father moving around and putting things in the oven and using the electric mixer and she can imagine him humming his bread song. She can also hear the murmur of her mother's voice, but she can't make out any of the words.

Tikki and Wayzz are still arguing when she gets back to her room, but it appears that Wayzz is the one lecturing Tikki now, and she smothers a snort at the affronted look on Tikki's face at whatever it is Wayzz is telling her. Turning back to her closet, she debates whether she should wear something more form fitting so it's easy to see that she doesn't have a baby bump or anything, but she rolls her eyes at the thought. They're going to believe what they're going to believe, no matter what she wears.

"Marinette?" Tikki grumbles as said girl pulls her hair out from the collar of the black, long–sleeved t–shirt she decided on.

"We still have forty–five minutes to get to school." She says absentmindedly, picking up her hair brush.

"It's not that." Tikki darts closer and settles on top of Marinette's jewellery box, ignoring the dust on it from lack of use. "I'm sorry about bringing up Cat Blanc. I only have your best interests at heart and I'm trying to protect you."

"You're just trying to delay the inevitable." Marinette replies, shrugging slightly. She runs her brush through her hair before pulling it into a ponytail, knowing from experience that no matter her hair style, Ladybug will still have pigtails. "I don't blame you for that."

"But I shouldn't have told you to cut off all ties with him completely." Tikki shakes her head sadly. "I know how much you appreciate his visits, even if he does annoy you sometimes."

"Still . . ." Marinette shrugs again. She knows that the only reason why she's not more torn up over the thought of having to cut Cat out of her civilian life is because she hasn't really come to terms with it. The thought of Cat Noir not being involved in Marinette's life is the hardest thing she has ever, and will ever, have to comprehend. "It's not fair for me to be putting him in danger like this."

"I'd love to see you _try_ and stop him." Wayzz cuts in with a small smile. "Cat Noir is stubborn, and so is Plagg; I wouldn't be surprised if Plagg released his transformation to protest on his holder's behalf." Marinette giggles at the thought and Wayzz's smile grows. "Sorry Tikki," He glances at said kwami briefly before focusing back on Marinette, who's pulling on her coat in preparation for the cold walk to school. "But Cat's not going to stop coming over and caring for you and looking out for you just because you say it's dangerous."

"Yeah . . . I know." She crosses the room to check she has everything she needs in her school bag. "I still need to try, right?"

She smiles sadly and picks up her handbag, holding it open for the kwamis. They dart inside dutifully, the air around them tense enough to cut with a knife. Wayzz pointedly turns away from Tikki, still upset with her for trying to take Marinette's happiness away. Zipping her handbag shut with one hand, she uses the other to pick up her backpack, shifting it from hand to hand as she walks down the stairs to the main floor.

"Hey Mar–Bear!" Nino greets her brightly from where he's sitting at their kitchen table, halfway through a croissant.

She blinks at him, gobsmacked, before a smile breaks out on her face and she drops her bag and rushes over, pulling him into a hug. It's a little awkward because he's still sitting, but neither of them mind. "What are you doing here?" She asks, ignoring her usual seat in favour of sitting next to him.

"You weren't answering my messages and I got worried." He picks at the pastry, popping a piece into his mouth absentmindedly.

"Not worried enough to forgo eating food, though?" She teases, reaching over to tear an end off the croissant, and he bats her hand away jokingly.

"Well . . . you do know the way to a guy's heart is through his stomach, right?" He grins at her, patting said portion of his anatomy for emphasis.

"Funny, Alya always says it's a little lower." She grins at him, giggling when his cheeks flush and he splutters.

"_Mari_! How could you!" He slips down in his seat as if he's melting like the witch in _the Wizard of Oz_. "You're the sweetest girl in the world, how could you have such impure thoughts?" He cries melodramatically, throwing an arm over his eyes to further drive his point home.

She giggles and swats at his shoulder, telling him to sit up straight before he causes permanent damage to his spine. He complies and sits back in the seat to finish off the croissant. He 'lets' her steal a few more pieces, batting at her hand just a second too late to make impact. She pretends not to notice the way he frowns at her, worry etched into his expression. They don't say much, and the elephant in the room dances around them, bumping into cupboards and knocking over chairs in an effort to be acknowledged. Finally, Nino relents, and project Gentle Interrogation to Not Scare Away Marinette is underway.

"Why didn't you answer my messages? I was really worried about you."

"It's on airplane mode. I didn't want to deal with it. I _don't_ want to deal with it."

"I get that. I stopped by yesterday after school. Did your mum tell you? Or your dad?"

"No."

"Oh. They told me you weren't up to seeing anyone. Adrien was really worried about you too, I think he was going to see if he could visit at lunch, but then he had a photoshoot or something and he couldn't. Did he come to see you?" She shakes her head. "He may talk to you at school."

This is met with silence and Nino bites his lip, knowing he's crossing the line between _gentle_ and _harsh_.

"Mari . . . you're not pregnant, are you?"

She closes her eyes and releases a breath, although it's not quite a sigh. He searches her face for something, anything, but he comes up blank. For a girl who is a world class open book, she is uncannily closed off when she wants to be.

"No. I'm not." She opens her eyes and offers him a small, tired smile. "Do you believe me?"

"Without a doubt." He says without hesitation and her face crumples. He scoots his chair closer and closes the gap between them, pulling her to him in a hug as her tears start to fall. He lightly shooshes against her temple, rubbing her back comfortably as she clings to his shirt in a death grip. "Shh, it's okay. I've got you; I believe you. It's okay."

He repeats the words like a mantra, never breaking his hold on her, and after only another minute or so her tears dissolve into light sniffles, and then silence. She gets up to blow her nose. He pulls her onto his lap for a hug when she returns and she buries her face in his neck. They stay like that, just comfortable in each other's embrace, until she pulls away from him and presses a friendly kiss to his cheek in thanks. She moves back to her own seat and grabs his hand, interlacing her fingers with his and squeezing. Just like that day in the library all those years ago.

"I feel like one of us should be reading _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_ right now." He jokes, earning him a giggle. He squeezes her hand back and inhales deeply, centring himself for what he's about to say. "Now, what are we going to do about Little Miss Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire?"


	20. You Have Me

**Chapter Twenty – You Have Me**

"Mari!"

Before she can register who is calling her name, a body slams into her and, if they weren't holding onto her so tightly (and if they were also clumsy), she would have fallen to the ground with this person on top of her. Instead, she finds herself upright, enveloped in a tight embrace, with this person's head buried in her shoulder. It takes her another moment to realise they're still talking.

"–_so_ sorry. I am the worst, the absolute worst, but I am going to make it up to you, and I am going to look out for you and–"

"Dude," Nino says, tugging on the person hugging hers arm. "Let her go, she needs to breathe."

"Sorry! Sorry!" Just as quickly as those arms had wrapped round her, they release her and she stumbles back a step. "Sorry, Mari!"

"It's okay, Adrien." She says absentmindedly. She watches him rub the back of his neck and smile sheepishly. Nino watches from the sidelines, glancing between his friends with a look of bemusement. _Wait_ . . . "A–Adrien!" She stares at him wide–eyed and waves her hands around as if she's standing on the edge of a cliff, trying to keep her balance. "I–you–what?"

Nino snorts and she shoots him a glare. He puts his hands up as if to surrender to her. "Told you he was worried."

"I am." Adrien says, smiling at her. She returns it easily, although her brain feels like it's full of cotton wool.

"Cool." She says dumbly, and Nino chokes back a laugh. Before she can say or do anything else to embarrass herself, Nino steps forward and laces his arm through hers, bumping their hips together playfully.

"Want to get this over with?" He tilts his head, his eyes flicking to the school doors ahead of them. They're early enough that they're still open, but late enough that there are no students mingling outside to gawk at them.

"Can't I just crawl under my covers and stay there until I die?"

"No."

"What if I apply for Hogwarts?"

"They wouldn't let you in, you're too clumsy." She gapes at him and he giggles. She pushes him away from her with her elbow, but he keeps a grip on her arm so he doesn't go anywhere. "It'll be okay."

"No, it won't."

"Yeah, you're right, it probably won't."

Marinette snorts, shaking her head fondly. "Then why did you say it would?"

"I was trying to make you feel better!" She giggles. "It's better than sunshine over there, all he's done is stare at you."

Said person jolts and looks away from Marinette to glare at Nino, who simply gives him a shit–eating grin. "Please don't start calling me 'sunshine' too."

"Too late." Nino's grin widens as Adrien swears under his breath. His expression turns sombre when he looks back at Marinette. "You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I know." She inhales deeply and forces a smile, but she can't actually bring herself to move forward.

"It will be okay." Adrien reassures her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She starts to nod, then shakes her head. "You know what? On second thought I think this is a really bad idea and I would much prefer to hang out in the bakery all day instead."

Nino raises an eyebrow doubtfully. "No, you wouldn't."

"Yeah, you're right, I wouldn't."

"You've got this." He nudges his elbow against her ribs lightly. "She's got this right?"

"Definitely." Adrien confirms, smiling warmly at her.

Her eyes light up slightly and she nods, determined. "Okay. Let's go."

Nino ushers her forward quickly before she can lose her nerve, Adrien on her other side, trying (and failing) to discretely stare at her. The only thing stopping Nino from teasing him about it is the concern in his eyes, and Marinette's already fragile mental state. It doesn't take a genius to see the love she still holds for him in her heart, and what with this whole 'pregnancy' situation, he's not about to rock the leaking, falling apart boat that is Marinette's emotions.

They get all the way to the classroom door without stopping, but once they're outside Marinette's feet suddenly turn into concrete and she refuses to move. Nino doesn't blame her – he's dreading this too – and he can tell that Adrien is fighting his instincts to wrap her up in cotton wool and carry her back to her house, tuck her under her blankets like she wishes, and stand guard over her to protect her from all of the evils of the world. Hell, he wants nothing more than to do the same.

"I can't do this." She whispers, staring at the door as if it's a bull about to come charging at them.

Nino slips his arm from hers and grips her shoulder's, forcing her to face him. "École. We were ten. Mum had just left him and we were staying at a women and children shelter all the way across the city. She was six months pregnant, batshit terrified that he'd find her. She wouldn't let me come to school, so you caught the metro for the first time since you got lost on it to meet me at the park near the shelter. You brought _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ with you because you knew I needed it." His hands slide down from her shoulders to grip her hands, and he interlaces their fingers. Her bottom lip starts to tremble. "I don't have _the Philosopher's Stone_ with me, but I will _walk_ to the other side of Paris to get it for you if you need me to. You can do this, because you have me. And you have Adrien."

"You have me too." A quiet voice says from beside them and the three of them jump. Marc smiles shyly, clutching his notebook to his chest tighter. "You've got me, Marinette."

She gives him a smile, the tears she had tried so hard to suppress finally spilling down her cheeks. She wipes them away in vain, bumping her hand against Nino's as he tries to do the same. "I think they have it at the library here." She tells him and he snorts, shaking his head fondly.

"Good. Because I don't exactly have the best sense of direction and will probably end up in Germany before I get to the other side of Paris."

She giggles, before slipping her hands from his only to wrap them around him in a hug. He squeezes her middle tightly, lifting her off the ground, and she giggles again, clutching him tighter. Once he sets her back on the ground, she instantly turns to Marc and pulls him into a hug. He presses a friendly kiss to her cheek. Nino eyes Adrien's expression – he doesn't wear it often, but Nino knows jealousy when he sees it – and moves closer to him, swinging his arm around his neck and tugging him closer to whisper in his ear.

"You know Mari's wonderful, right?"

Adrien looks at him in surprise, crossing his arms as if to protect himself. "Of course."

"And you know that she and Marc have been friends for a while now?"

"I do." He glances back at said two – who are now having their own quiet conversation – and his jaw clenches slightly to hold back words he shouldn't say.

"And you know that she likes you." Nino knows saying this is in the grey area, but for fuck's sake, he's sick of this charade! Adrien turns to stare at him wide eyed, and Nino quickly slips his hand over his mouth to prevent the way too loud 'WHAT!' from escaping. "Come on, dude. You've had to have noticed. At least a little."

He gapes at him for a moment, his eyes flicking between Nino and the oblivious Marinette. His eyes remain on her and a small smile graces his lips when she giggles at whatever Marc is saying. "Yeah."

"Then you should stop staring and start talking, because Marinette's never going to fall in love with a statue."

Adrien glares at him, but he can't hide the redness of his cheeks. Nino grins and pats his shoulder, releasing him to interrupt Marc and Marinette's conversation. As he walks closer, he hears them say something about the art room, and Marinette nods. He assumes that's where he's going to find them at lunch.

"I know you don't want to," He starts, and they both look at him. "But we have to go to class. The lesson's almost half over."

Marinette sighs, tugging on her pigtail nervously. She glances past him at the door and makes a face. "You sure we can't just transfer to Hogwarts?"

"I'd transfer in an instant, but I don't know how our parents would feel." He grins, slipping his arm around her in a hug. "Plus, it would be a rather long commute."

. . .

Marinette can tell that Ms Bustier wants to say something to her, but she stares pointedly at her desk, willing for just once that she won't try to 'fix' this mess by telling her to forgive Lila for 'outing' her to the class so she can learn by example. Why can't she just ever blame the bully instead of the bullied? Role models are great, yes, but only when the person wants to be moulded.

Somehow between when she left the classroom the day before and this morning Lila – or maybe Alya, she can't tell anymore – has managed to rearrange the class so Marinette's sitting at the back of the classroom again, so Lila can sit next to Adrien and Nino can sit next to Alya. At least, he would be had he sat with Alya. Instead, he gave Lila a glare cold enough to freeze fire and marched up the stairs after Marinette, taking a seat beside her like it was an everyday occurrence, because, despite all their years of being friends, they've ever sat next to each other in class unless assigned to by a project. They spend the remainder of the lesson writing out _Harry Potter_ quotes in the back of his notebook.

Her plan is to stay in the classroom until everyone else has left before moving to her next class, but then majority of the class linger behind with her, all trying to subtly check her out for a baby bump. Nino nudges her side lightly, gesturing towards the door, asking if she wants to leave. She shakes her head slightly. Ms Bustier is as oblivious to what's going on with her students as usual, so she just keeps writing up the information for the next class on the board, keeping her back turned to her students. Lila starts making her way up the stairs, face etched in the perfect mask of concern should someone look. There's a loud scoff from the front of the room.

"Oh, seriously?" Chloé asks, flouncing up the stairs after Lila.

She startles and looks back at her, coming to a stop. She makes sure to stand one step lower than Chloé so she looks more vulnerable so everyone leaps to her defence. "W–What is it Chloé?" She makes her lip tremble, tears brimming in her eyes. "I just want to make sure Marinette is okay."

"Dupain–Cheng's fine." Chloé says, waving her hand dismissively. "You, however, are _very_ wrong."

Lila blinks innocently. "Whatever do you mean?" She sniffs and clutches a hand to her chest, letting a tear fall from her eye. "Why are you being so mean to me?"

The class starts to defend Lila, Alya getting up to stand beside her, but Chloé's next words make her pause. Mostly from confusion.

"You're not friends with Ladybug."


	21. You're Too Good

**Chapter Twenty One – You're Too Good**

Lila frowns. "Yes, I am!" Her eyes flick from Chloé to Marinette. "Did she tell you to say this? Is she blackmailing you, too? I know it's scary, but if we just band together–"

Chloé shakes off the hand Lila tries to put on her shoulder and moves one step up so she's blocking Marinette from Lie–la's view. "Ladybug wouldn't be friends with a liar like you. She also wouldn't be friends with a civilian because that would put them in danger." She plants her hands on her hips, shifting her weight to one leg.

"We keep our friendship a secret." Lila says, glaring daggers at the blonde.

"Is that why you've allowed Alya to post multiple interviews of you saying you're friends on the Ladyblog?" Adrien pipes up, standing on his knees on his seat so he can face them. Alya glances between Adrien, Lila and Chloé, her cheeks flushing slightly. Adrien's not sure if it's from embarrassment or anger. "To 'protect' yourself and her?" He mimes quotation marks to drive the point home.

"Actually," Lila says, her tone haughty and self–entitled. "Ladybug _said_ I can–"

"Did you know that Jagged Stone is allergic to animal fur?" Chloé interrupts, inspecting her nails for chips in the polish.

"No, he isn't." Lila says, which is a mistake on her part.

"Yes, he is." Max says, tilting his head at Lila. "He's said so in multiple interviews. That's why he has Fang instead of a dog or . . ."

"A cat." Chloé finishes, smirking at Lila. "Because Jagged Stone has _never_ had a cat, so how did you save his?"

"He did have a cat! He just didn't advertise–"

"What about the time you visited Prince Ali's palace and he wasn't even there because he was in the USA?" Chloé continues as if she hasn't even spoken. She raises an eyebrow. "That's kind of a weird thing to do if you're friends with that person, unless you're not friends and he was either avoiding you or you made it up?"

"He had to go to a sudden charity ev–"

"And what about the whole _napkin can take someone's eyes out_ thing?" She makes her voice more high–pitched, mocking Lila's. "You do know that the napkin was made of paper, right? And even if one did manage to hit someone in the eye, the fact that it was scrunched up when Dupain–Cheng threw it means that there shouldn't have been any sharp corners on it to hurt." She smirks and crosses her arms, leaning towards Lila so their faces are inches apart. "Plus," She says, her voice rising so even Ms Bustier can't ignore what's going on. "Max wears _glasses_, so it wouldn't have been able to do _anything_ to his eye."

"I–I had only just met Max and I didn't remember that he wears–"

"What about your tinnitus? Is it in your left ear or your right? Or your arthritis? Is that in your left wrist or your right wrist or both? Have you brought a doctor's note in for these diseases?"

"That's none of your–"

"How about that lying disease of yours?" She smirks, raising a manicured eyebrow challengingly. Murmurs drift through the class, and the students for Ms Bustier's next class who have arrived from Ms Mendeleiev's class pause in the doorway, tuning into the drama going on in front of them.

"I don't have a lying disease." Lila starts blubbering, dropping her head into her hands.

Chloé rolls her eyes and steps to the side so Marinette's in view again. "Then why did you tell Mr Damocles that to get Dupain–Cheng unexpelled?"

At this, Lila lifts her head, only to smirk and look down at Adrien. "Because Adrien told me to." The class looks at Adrien in horror that he would suggest someone should fake a disease, but he just glares at Lila in a way that is eerily similar to Gabriel's.

"And _why_ did I do that?" He demands, his voice laced in so much anger that it makes their class shrink back slightly.

Lila laughs. "You tell me. All I did was reveal Marinette's true colours." She crosses her arms and sniffs, glancing back at Marinette. Her expression may be etched in fear, but her eyes tell a very different story. A story of triumph. "I–I mean, if I knew she was going to push me down the stairs, I–"

"Ah, yes, that's another lie isn't it?" Chloé rolls her eyes.

"How can you say that!"

"Quite easily actually, because usually when someone gets pushed down the stairs their parents are called, maybe even an ambulance, or they'd go to sick bay, or, at the very least, they'd have _some_ kind of injury to show for it!" She throws her hands into the air for emphasis, before putting them back on her hips. "You, however, didn't have any signs of injuries." She raises an eyebrow, the murmuring of their classmates (and Ms Mendeleiev's class, which is very convenient because that means their whole year is here and witnessing this encounter) becomes louder, and more disgruntled. "It was almost as if you had simply walked yourself down the stairs and laid on the ground in order to cry wolf."

Lila's eyes flash dangerously, and then she turns her gaze on Marinette, pointing a finger at her accusingly. "Why do you hate me! All I ever wanted was to be your friend! You didn't have to get your friends to gang up on me like this!" She bursts into tears and falls to her knees, hiding her face in her hands as her shoulders shake with sobs.

There's a beat of silence, and Lila grins behind her hands, knowing that it's game over. This is it; she'll finally have destroyed goody–two–shoes over there. The class is going to fall at her feet to please her, and everyone will love her.

"You're lying."

She freezes.

"What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Why would you do that?"

"I thought we were friends!"

"Oh my God, you are a _horrible_ person!"

Everyone starts shouting over the top of each other, hurling insults and questions that she's not going to answer at her, and she curls in on herself, cowering beside Kim and Max's desk. _Why aren't they defending her! They should be hurling insults at _Marinette_, not her!_

"Everyone, cool it!" Everyone quiets immediately, staring at their everyday Ladybug in shock.

Nino stands up beside her and puts a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to calm down. "Mar–Bear, she deserves this." He says, and the class confirm their agreement. Some in ruder ways than others, and Ms Bustier shakes her head in disappointment at Alix to reprimand her. "She hurt you, she's been lying to us, she–"

"Doesn't deserve this." Marinette interrupts. She shakes her head slightly, before moving past Nino. Lila glares at her as she approaches, but Marinette's expression remains blank. She crouches in front of her and frowns, concerned. "Nobody deserves to be treated any less than humane."

"Fuck off, Dupain–Cheng!" Lila spits at her. Marinette merely blinks. "I don't need your help!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but you do need help. And I want to help you."

Lila scoffs. "You're either not as weak as I originally thought, or just even more stupid."

"More stupid." Marinette says automatically, smiling unhumorously. "Being a pathological liar can't be easy, I'm sure. It must be so difficult not knowing when the truth is going to come out or not. Not ever being truly yourself around those closest to you."

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I don't know what it's like to be a stranger to my own friends? To be isolated for something out of my control?" She eyes Lila warily, unsure whether her next statement will be too much or not. "To not know if the people who are say they love me actually do?"

Lila flinches, and then she springs forward and shoves Marinette so she falls backwards. She would've hit her head on the step behind her, but Chloé, who had remained in place, steps forward to block Marinette with her legs.

"You bitch!" Lila cries. She holds a hand up as if to slap her, but Alya grabs it and pulls her to her feet, pushing her back against Kim and Max's desk so she's trapped.

"You're the bitch! I have half a mind to–"

"Stop!" Marinette cries, shoving herself off the ground to put a hand on Alya's shoulder, hoping to calm her. "Just stop! If you do this, you're no better then she is, only instead of lies it'll be fists."

Alya regards Marinette, before letting go of Lila's wrist and stepping back from her, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. "You're lucky Marinette's an angel." She tells Lila, her voice dripping with venom.

Marinette rolls her eyes. "I'm not an angel, Alya. I'm just tired." She looks back at Lila and her expression softens. "Does your mum know?" Lila continues to glare at her. "I'm just trying to help you."

"_Why_?" Lila demands, pushing off the desk. She doesn't move any further, though, because the glares on everyone's face would be intimidating enough to scare _Hawk Moth_.

Marinette shrugs and wraps her arms around herself in a hug. "Because I can."

. . .

Ms Bustier takes Lila to Mr Damocles' office, who calls her mother, who arrives and is shocked to learn of all the lies her daughter has been sprouting. She confirms that Lila is 'the picture of health' and offers an apology on Lila's behalf, as Lila herself is refusing to say anything. She almost takes this apology back when she learns that neither paramedics nor herself were notified when Lila claimed to have been pushed down the stairs, and Ms Bustier's class (who have moved to the library, along with Ms Mendeleiv's class) can hear their argument so clearly it is as if they're in the same room. Lila and her mother leave shortly after the yelling stops, and Ms Bustier returns to take her next class so Ms Mendeleiv can take hers.

They didn't get much work done in the library because everyone was apologising to Marinette and asking her questions, and then apologising some more, and then confronting Adrien about enabling Lila, and then apologising to him when Marinette reminds them that they shouldn't jump to conclusions and, while Adrien's way of dealing with Lila was ineffective and seemingly insensitive to Marinette's feelings, it was coming from a good (but naïve) place. Marinette accepts everyone's apologies and assures them that, yes, they are still friends, and then they apologise some more until she tells them that if they say 'sorry' one more time she will take back her acceptance. They share a laugh when they realise she's joking, but thankfully cease their apologies. For now.

Right now, however, it's lunch time, and Marinette has something she needs to do.

She finds Chloé standing with Sabrina at the entrance to the school, where she was standing back when Adrien gave her his umbrella, waiting for her car to arrive so she can go home for lunch. Adrien, himself, left just minutes earlier, after ensuring she was okay, apologising for his horrible advice _again_, and giving her another tight hug that left her breathless.

"Chloé." She says, coming to a stop beside her. Sabrina smiles and waves at her politely, glancing nervously at Chloé, who is yet to look up from her phone. "Can I talk to you for a moment? Please?"

Chloé glances at Marinette and raises an eyebrow, before huffing out a breath and indicating to Sabrina to step away from them so they can have some privacy. She does as she's told and sits at the bottom of the steps.

"What is it, Dupain–Cheng?" Chloé asks, crossing her arms. "You better not be looking for any handouts."

Marinette rolls her eyes, before stepping a little closer to Chloé so she can drop her voice so they won't be overheard by any potential eavesdroppers. "I just wanted to say thank you. For what you did back there. It means a lot to me."

Chloé's cheeks flush the slightest bit, and she clears her throat, flicking her hair over her shoulder to regain her composure. "I didn't do that for _you_. I did it for _me_." She places her hands on her hips and lifts her nose haughtily. Marinette holds back a fond smile. She and Chloé may not get along, but Marinette knows when she's hiding behind a mask. "I wasn't about to let some lying nobody steal my spotlight." She glances back at Marinette and her expression softens just a bit. "Besides, her lies weren't even good. She needs to get better at keeping her facts straight if she wants to get to _my_ level."

"Your level is pretty high." Marinette murmurs in agreement. Chloé glares at her. She shrugs. "Why did you call her out now though? Why not back when it all started?"

At this, Chloé falters again and for a moment, just a moment, Marinette sees her mask slip off completely to reveal the vulnerable little girl hidden behind, desperate for her mother's love and approval. Just as quickly, Chloé's lips lift with a smirk and any signs of vulnerability disappear.

"Do you remember that speech you gave me at the start of the year?" She doesn't wait for her answer. "You said something along the lines of 'all that is necessary for evil to' . . . succeed or something, 'is that good people do nothing'. Remember that?"

"I do."

"Well, it's a given that you're good people Dupain–Cheng, and I am not." Marinette opens her mouth to protest, but Chloé holds up her hand. "Just keep your dignity and don't protest." Marinette shuts her mouth. "Lila isn't good either. In fact, she's probably worse than I am. And while sometimes good can fight evil and win, sometimes you need evil to fight evil."

"Like fighting fire with fire." Marinette murmurs, and Chloé nods.

"Don't cry or anything," She says, waving her hand dismissively. Her car pulls up and she starts walking down the stairs. "But you never would've won this fight, Dupain–Cheng." She reaches the bottom of the stairs and glances back at Marinette. Sabrina scrambles to get up and open the car door for her. "You're too good."


	22. Inside and Out

**Chapter Twenty Two – Inside and Out**

"He's going to love this." Tikki beams, doing a summersault in the air.

Marinette giggles, smiling at her before following Wayzz under her desk to plug in the extension cord for the fairy lights she's hung up. "I hope so. Either way, _I'm_ going to love this."

Wayzz grins at her and flicks the switch so power is running through the cord. She can tell he's resisting the urge to flick it again. And again. And again and again, much like a small child might. She ushers him out from under the desk before he can do so.

"I am a little worried about it being a school night, but I can't wait until Friday." She says, wiping her hands together to get any dust off them.

"It's not like you've never stayed up late before." Tikki agrees, winking at her holder. Marinette giggles.

"I so wish we could enjoy this with you." Wayzz says, settling on Marinette's shoulder. He nuzzles into her neck.

"Tell you what," Marinette says, reaching up to stroke his head. "Tomorrow night I can set it all up again for you and release all of the kwamis." She makes a face. "Plagg won't be here, not this time at least, but that means we can just do it all over again."

"What do you mean 'this time'?" Tikki asks, frowning at her holder. When Marinette hesitates, her eyes widen and she clasps her paws to her mouth. "_You know who Cat Noir is_?"

"WHAT?" Marinette shouts, immediately clamping a hand over her own mouth. She holds her breath, pausing, but when she hears no sign that her parents are coming up to check on her, she removes her hands from her mouth and frowns at Tikki. "No, I don't know who he is. Yet. But the rule to keep our identities a secret has always been Master Fu's, and the rule . . . it sucks." She shakes her head sadly and Wayzz moves to hover beside Tikki, so they're both looking at her.

"It was there for a good reason, though." Tikki says gently. "You and A–Cat Noir, you and Cat Noir are the youngest holder's Plagg and I have ever had, and Master Fu is the most anxious and paranoid Master we've ever had."

"Although at times you are a close second." Wayzz says, laughing to himself.

Marinette rolls her eyes fondly. "I do understand Master Fu's reasoning," She says, starting to climb up the stairs to her bed so she can sit down. The kwamis follow her. "But there have been many times where knowing each other's identities would've made it _so_ much easier. And Cat really has gotten better at thinking before he leaps and taking a hit for me that I could just easily dodge." She rolls her eyes, thinking about her precious (annoying) chaton. "If we know each other's identities, we can contact each other outside of the suits. We won't have to keep wondering where each other is, when we're going to show up, or if we've already been caught as our civilians."

"Plus, if you ever have an akuma that can create illusions like Volpina, or who looks just like you like Copy Cat, you'll know straight away because you can contact each other." Wayzz adds, getting excited (after all, it's not every day he gets the opportunity to, potentially, see Plagg again).

"Exactly." Marinette grins at him.

"I'm sure you and Cat having gotten closer has nothing to do with this," Tikki teases, smirking at Marinette.

She blushes and stares down at her hands, fiddling with the hem of her pyjama shirt. "Kind of. It seems wrong to keep this from him." She glances up at Tikki and her eyes water. "I know you think it's dangerous, but Cat Blanc will only happen if we let it happen, and I'm not letting it happen." She wipes her eyes on the back of her hand and sniffs. "I can't do this guardian thing alone anymore. I can't keep seeing those eyes and hearing that voice every time I go to sleep." She shakes her head and wipes the tear running down her cheek away. "I can't, and I won't. Not anymore. Cat and I . . ." She shrugs slightly, glancing away from the concerned yes of the kwamis. "We need each other." She glances up and, although still teary, her eyes light up with a new fire; determination. "It's us against the world, and it can't be us against the world unless we know every part of each other. Inside and out."

Tikki and Wayzz are quiet for a moment, and they share a look. Wayzz nods, saying he agrees with Marinette. Tikki hesitates a moment longer and Marinette bites her lip, starting to get worried.

"Tikki?"

Said kwami sighs, crossing her arms. "This whole 'inside and out' thing isn't a euphemism for sex, is it?"

She isn't overly surprised when Marinette chucks a pillow at her, shouting, '_Tikki_!'

. . .

As soon as Cat lands on Marinette's balcony, he's enveloped in a hug as strong as the ones he gave her at school. When he inhales, his senses are filled with that oh–so familiar Marinette smell – a vanillay sweet smell mixed with something he's never quite been able to put his finger on that engulfs his heart and makes him feel like he's arrived home – mixed in with her berry scented soap from her recent shower. He returns the embrace, burying his nose in her still damp hair and–_oh! Her shampoo smells like berries too!_

Much too soon for his liking – he was still trying to sort his way through all the scents to try and figure out what that one smell is (you'd think it would be easy, since he's known her for so long and she sits behind him and he's even made his own fragrance for fuck's sake, but he's at a complete standstill) – Marinette pulls away from him and steps back, putting her hands over her mouth to hold in an excited squeal. He grins, eyes dancing with mirth, and he unconsciously reaches out to her again and puts his hands on her waist, urging her a little close to him so he can warp his arms around her again. She complies easily and winds her arms around his neck once again, leaning her head against his shoulder. She lets out a content sigh, relaxing against him fully.

"Excited to see me?" He asks, referring to their first hug.

She giggles and the sound makes his heart jolt happily in his chest. Lord, he'd happily listen to the sound of Marinette giggling for the rest of his life if he could. He wonders how she would feel about him making that his ringtone?

"Today's been a good day, and I want to celebrate it with my favourite kitty." She slides her arms from around his neck and he inhales sharply in surprise when they brush across his chest on their way to wrap around his waist in a closer cuddle.

"Oh yeah?" His voice comes out gruff, and he coughs to clear it. "Why was it good?"

"Chloé." She says simply, shrugging.

He frowns, having expected any answer besides that. "Chloé? As in Queen Bee turned Queen Wasp Chloé?" He has to double–check, just in case she's talking about some other Chloé.

"That Chloé." Marinette murmurs after a moment's hesitation. She decides that only Ladybug would be able to offer an insight into how different Queen Bee and Queen Wasp are, and even though she's going to broach the subject of a reveal with him at some point, now is the wrong time to do so, and she's wearing the wrong suit. "She . . . you kind of had to be there," _Oh, the irony_, Cat thinks, smiling to himself. "But she basically brought to question all of Lila's lies and made the class see sense."

"Wow."

The awe in Cat's voice isn't fake, because he was there, and it was so surreal seeing his childhood friend standing up for the girl she always claimed to hate. For a moment it was as if they were seven years old again, and she was standing up to the older boy at his father's shoot, for some kind of kids clothing line or something (he's not sure, all he remembers is that it was one of his first times modelling, and Chloé was there to model as well, and his mother wasn't entirely convinced the environment was healthy for a child, but his father insisted), who had called him stupid for not going to 'real' school. For a moment, she became the little girl he desperately wishes to see his friend become again.

"Yeah. It was pretty surreal." Marinette agrees, her hand now stroking his side in long, tantalising, innocent strokes and he has to really focus on his breathing so nothing, _ahem_, unwanted appears and ruins their cuddle. "But I'm thankful, because I had no idea how to deal with Lila."

"What do you mean?" His own hands start caressing her back in soothing strokes and she releases another sigh, sinking even further against him. "You're _Marinette_, you always have a plan!"

She giggles, her hand coming to a stop at his side, before curling around him to her other hand so her arms are circling his torso completely. _You have no idea how right you are, chaton_. "Not this time. Not for Lila." She releases another sigh and his hand stills for a moment against the small of her back, before resuming its movements and drifting up to her shoulder blades. "My friend Nino and I tried to come up with a plan, but Nino isn't really the planning type unless it's for a film script, and I . . . I'm just so tired; it's like my brain is fried."

She lets out another sigh, and this time, whether it's because she just said so or because she's finally just letting it show, Cat can hear the exhaustion in it clearly. Exhaustion that goes past a few nights' lack of sleep.

"I can't think straight, and I keep getting distracted and . . ." Her hair tickles the exposed skin on his neck and chin when she shakes her head, not lifting it from his shoulder.

"And?" Cat prompts gently, nudging his nose against the top of her head. He resists the urge to kiss her forehead again, and finds himself hoping they end up having another impromptu sleepover just so he can do so without being questioned.

She bites her lip and stares at some distant point past the railing of her balcony, letting her vision go fuzzy. "It's like the part of me that make me me has faded a little; like it's disappearing; and I don't know how to get it back." She shakes her head again and lifts her head from his shoulder, loosening her arms around him so she can lean back and look him in the eye without being centimetres from his face. She needs to be able to think clearly for this conversation, and having a handsome cat–boy's lips so close to hers surely wouldn't help that. "It's like . . . it's like my heart is giving up."


	23. Celebration

**Chapter Twenty Three – Celebration**

"Y–Y– . . . You d–don't mean . . ." Cat can't finish the sentence, he can only clutch her closer to him and burry his face in her neck, inhaling her Marinette smell to ground himself. "Princess," He whimpers around the lump in his throat. He squeezes his eyes shut to keep his tears at bay. _Surly she can't be talking about_ . . . that_,_ _can she?_

"Kitty?" She asks, shifting her hand up his back to thread her fingers through the hair at his nape. He sniffs and she frowns. "What are you trying to say?" She'd only invited him over so they could have a secret sleepover, not so they could cry on each other's shoulders. Today was supposed to be all happiness!

"You're not thinking a–about . . ." He inhales shakily and raises his head from her neck so he can look her in the eye. Her eyebrows crease in concern and she brushes her hand across his cheek, wiping away his tears. "Please don't say you're contemplating s–s–su–sui–"

"No," She whispers, saving him from forcing 'suicide' from his lips. She strokes his cheekbone with her thumb before wrapping her arms around him in a cuddle again, although she maintains eye contact with him. "No, I'm not talking about that, I just . . ." She bites her lip and glances at a distant point over his shoulder, trying to collect her thoughts and find the right words to say, to make him understand. "I'm just so tired, of everything, and even the things I used to love no longer make me as happy as they used to and . . ." She shrugs. "The only way I can explain it is my heart is tired."

"I understand that." Cat murmurs, going back to stroking her back soothingly. She's wearing her dinosaur pyjamas again, and he wishes he could feel them, feel their softness, their warmth. "Almost two years ago I lost . . . I lost someone very close to me and I still struggle with doing things that remind me of her." His voice cracks and he clears his throat, but doesn't add any more.

"Like what?" She asks, leaning her head back on his shoulder, her fingers tap against his spine absentmindedly and he inhales sharply at the sensation.

"Piano. I used to play the piano with her, and now when I play . . . it's different. The music's the same but it's a different tone." She hums in acknowledgment and he leans his head against hers, letting his eyes slide closed. They stay like that for what could be minutes or hours, neither can tell, but eventually Cat gives her one last squeeze and then loosens his grip on her, although he can't bring himself to pull away from her completely just yet. "I think that's enough sadness for one night." He grins at her and she giggles. "You mentioned wanting to celebrate?"

She nods happily, a grin splitting her face in two and he can't help but grin along with her. "Uh–huh!" She squeals quietly and wriggles out of his embrace, dancing back a step before moving back to him to grab his hand. "What are you wearing under your suit?"

He blinks at her, before a surprised giggle escapes him. "Pardon?"

"Are you wearing your pyjamas?" She doesn't lose the grin, even as he takes what must feel like ten years to nod. "Great! Wait here!"

With that, she spins around and climbs through her trapdoor. He stands there, stunned, with his hand still out from when she released his and his eyes wide with shock. He's just grateful his mouth isn't hanging open so he won't catch any flies. He's also grateful it's too cold for flies. He's still in that position when she climbs back out a moment later, one hand hidden behind her back, but she makes no mention of his position. When she just continues to stare at him, grinning, he pulls his hand back to him and returns her smile, glancing at her and then away nervously.

"You're not going to guess?" Marinette finally asks, bouncing on the souls of her feet in a poor attempt to contain her giddiness.

"You didn't say I should." Cat says, scratching the back of his neck.

She frowns, tilting her head. A moment later she facepalms herself with her free hand. "Idiot! I'm sorry," She smiles sheepishly. "I must've said that in my head."

He snorts slightly and she giggles to herself, before looking at him pointedly. "Um . . . am I guessing the celebration or what you're holding?"

"Celebration."

"Okay." He mimes a thinking position and she rolls her eyes fondly. "Is it a giant cake that says 'suck it, Lila!'?"

She snorts. "No, but that's pretty good."

"Is it physics homework?"

She makes a face. "That wouldn't be a celebration, that would be torture!"

He laughs. "True. Is it a jumping castle?"

"No."

"An all you can eat macaron buffet?"

"_No_." She starts giggling.

"Ooh! Is it _Cinderella_?"

"Cat!" She shakes her head fondly.

"_What_?" He cries, feigning innocence.

"You're a pain in the butt, you know." She tells him and he snorts. "Why don't I just show you, instead?"

"Okay." He readily agrees and starts moving towards her skylight, but she stops him with a hand to his chest.

"You have to detransform first, and put this on." She pulls her other hand from behind her back and holds up a piece of black fabric. Upon closer inspection, he realises it's a perfect replica of his mask, just without the Miraculous magic.

"Did you make this?" He asks, taking it from her to get a better look at it. She nods shyly, biting her lip as she watches him inspect her work. He runs his fingers over it gently, mindful of his claws, and finds where she signed it along the stitching below his left eye. There's a thinnish black elastic band connected to the back of it to secure it around his head, and he tugs on it experimentally. "When?"

"At school today." _So _that's _what she was doing in the art room_. "I came up with the idea to celebrate during class, and I wasn't really sure what we would do at the time, but I figured Plagg deserves a break."

He smiles, before frowning, confused. "How do you know my kwami's name?"

Her eyes widen slightly, before she smiles and shuffles her feet nervously, wringing her hands in front of her. "We met when I was Multimouse. Remember? I had to use cataclysm?"

"Oh, right. I forgot." He smiles shyly. "That battle was crazy."

"Try being the size of an actual mouse." She says and he laughs. "I'm going to wait inside, just come in when you're ready." She smiles one last time before disappearing through the skylight, this time shutting it behind her.

He waits a moment, smiling to himself about the girl that has invaded his heart more than he realised. "Claws in." He says softly, shivering as his suit is replaced with his pyjamas. He's grateful that he didn't bother fixing his hair after his shower, so it's already in Cat's usual style.

"Should I be worried?" Plagg asks, drawing Adrien from his own thoughts of this beautiful, amazing girl that's allowing him to be himself in the comfort of her home.

"Worried?" He frowns at his kwami, slipping the mask over his head. He adjusts it so it's sitting straight, before running his finger along the elastic band to check it's not twisted.

"You're not going to leave tonight expecting kittens, are you?"

Adrien glares at him, cheeks flushing darkly at Plagg's implication. "_No_. Why would you think that?"

He shrugs, before darting over to the skylight. "Because you're teenagers and your libidos are fluctuating willy–nillily?" With that, he phases through the skylight and into Marinette's room.

Adrien stares at the spot Plagg just was, blinking, before his mind starts working. "_Plagg_! You can't just . . . _go_ through people's windows!"

He doesn't get an answer (he's not even sure if Plagg heard him), but he still waits for one. After a moment longer, he realises that Marinette's probably wondering where he is and he moves to the edge of the skylight in two steps. From here, he can see the bottom half of her bed, but not her, so she's either on the main floor of her room or sitting at the head of her bed. He does know from experience that, if she is sitting at the head of her bed, she'll be able to see his feet. Maybe. Depends whether there's a reflection from the light on in her room or not. The thought that she might be able to see him standing there, like an idiot, gets his limbs moving again and he crouches, lifts the skylight and slips inside. Marinette grins at him from the head of her bed, Plagg nestled in the curve of her shoulder and neck, purring sleepily.

"No fair!" He says, and Plagg opens one eye lazily. "Why do you cuddle the princess but not me?" Marinette giggles.

"She smells nicer." Plagg says, letting his eye close again. He snuggles even closer to her. "And she gave me a cheese puff."

"And you'll only get more if you're good." Marinette says, still giggling. She notices Adrien's pout and snorts, before gently lifting Plagg from her shoulder and setting him on her pillow. She gives his head a little stroke before crawling on her knees to Adrien. She stops right in front of where he's still crouched from climbing inside and wobbles slightly, gripping his shoulders so she can remain on her knees. "Hi."

"Hi." He grins at her and puts his hands on her waist gently. His grin widens when he realises he can feel her pyjamas, and he strokes the fabric with his thumbs, relishing in the softness of the fleece. "Your pyjamas are soft." He whispers quietly and she giggles.

She shifts beneath his hands and he tightens his grip, his pinkie finding the slit in the side of her pyjama top and fingering the skin there gently. He's never been so close to her without the mask on before (even though he is still technically wearing a mask), and it's like tasting the forbidden fruit; one bite isn't enough, he just has to keep coming back for more. Or, in this case, he wants to remain as close to her as he possibly can for as long as he possibly can.

"So are yours." Her hands shift from his shoulders down to his chest then back up again. "This is really good quality fabric! What's the thread count? It's got to be really high since it's so–_oh_."

"What?" For a second he thinks he's given away his identity somehow (like, maybe Nathalie got his name sewed into his pyjamas and she can see that?), but when he looks down he can't see anything that could possibly be incriminating.

"Of course they're good quality." Marinette sits back on her heels and he's forced to release his hold on her waist. She points to the label stitched into the bottom, left–hand corner of his pyjama shirt. "They're _Gabriel_ brand."

His eyes widen and he opens his mouth to protest, almost flailing his arms around in a panic, but her face hasn't changed. She's just making an observation, and he calms down. Slightly. "Y–Yeah. They were a gift." Well, not really. The only clothes he own's are _Gabriel_, and he automatically gets the latest outfits whether he wants them or not.

"Expensive gift." She says, sliding her hand along his forearm to feel the fabric there. When she reaches the end of the sleeve, he flips his hand over and interlaces their fingers. "Was it your birthday?"

He nods noncommittedly, deciding to just take the out she's unknowingly given him rather than dig himself into a deeper hole. "So . . . what is this celebration that you planned that requires me to be in my pyjamas?" He asks, changing the subject.

She raises an eyebrow, letting him know she knows what he's doing, but he just smiles innocently. "You're not very observant, are you?"

"What do you mean?" He frowns at her and she giggles, looking to her right towards her room. He follows his gaze and his jaw instantly drops, eyes widening in surprise. "Oh. My. _God_."


	24. Home

**Chapter Twenty Four – Home**

Marinette (well, Ladybug, technically, but Adrien doesn't know that yet) has attached a command strip hook to her ceiling in the middle of her main floor, from which she has attached sheets (and sheets temporarily pinned to other sheets, in order to make bigger sheets) which have then been tied or weighed down to the floor at different points around her room, to make a sort of pentagon–ish shape. After gaping at the pillow fort in the centre of her room that he somehow missed, Adrien realises that her bed has been stripped of all blankets and pillows. Even her giant cat pillow is missing. The only pillow on her bed is the one she sat Plagg on, which now that he's looking at it he's realised two things: one, that it's clearly a pillow that she's made, and two, it's depressed in the middle to make it look a bit like a nest. _Weird_.

"You made a pillow fort?" He asks dumbly, and she nods, beaming.

"Yep!" She squeals and grabs his hand, tugging him down the stairs after her. "Come look inside!"

At the foot of the steps, she drops down onto all fours and pushes aside one of the sheets to reveal the opening. She grins up at where he's still standing on the stairs, before crawling in, letting the sheet fall back into place behind her. He can hear her rustling around inside, followed by the sound of what sounds like a power switch being flicked.

"Are you coming?" She calls from inside. He can hear the smile in her voice, and it makes him smile.

Following her demonstration, he gingerly gets onto his hands and knees and finds the gap in the sheets, moving it inside so he can crawl through. She's laid what must be every blanket in their home on the floor of the fort to make it comfortable enough to sit on, and on top of that are what must be no less than ten pillows, and not the little square ones that adults like to decorate their couches with either. She's moved her computer onto the floor, and he can see that both her DVD player and gaming console have been set up beside it in advance. Fairy lights have been strung around the inside of the fort, creating enough light that they can see each other clearly, but dim enough that there's a more intimate feel to their own little world that she has created in the span of just a few hours.

"Holy shit," Escapes him before he can stop himself and she snorts, making his eyes stop roaming around the fort, taking it all in, to rest on where she's sitting in the middle, with her legs crossed and bowls of food spread out in front of her – although, he notes, mouth watering and excitement growing, there appears to be nothing but sweet treats for them to indulge themselves in. "This is incredible! _How_ did you do this?"

She shrugs and looks down, cheeks flushing bashfully. "I had a little help, but I've been making forts ever since I was little." She glances back at him and smiles shyly, eyes flicking temporarily to the ceiling where the sheets come to a certain point at the hook. "They've never been _this_ pawsome though."

Adrien gapes at her, before a grin splits his face in half and he almost pounces on her in a hug. "You _punned_!" He cries, squeezing her middle tightly. She laughs, patting his back gently, and then a bit harder when he doesn't release her right away. "You're amazing," He sighs, relaxing his grip on her.

Marinette smiles, returning the embrace, and leans her head down so it's resting on his shoulder. "So are you, Mr Saves Paris All the Time."

Adrien rolls his eyes. "Ladybug's the one who saves Paris, I just distract the akuma." He winces. "And her."

Marinette frowns and leans back in his arms to look him in the eye. She cups his cheeks, stroking her thumb just below where the mask sits on his cheekbones. "Ladybug may be the one who purifies the akumas, but you're the one who protects her so she can." Her frown shifts into a glare and he swallows nervously. "And if I ever hear you call yourself a sidekick again–"

"I didn't say I think I'm a sidekick."

"It was implied, was it not?" The way he glances away from her is answer enough. She lifts and turns his head so he's looking her in the eye again. "I'm serious, Cat. No one disregards my kitty, not ever you."

Adrien's cheeks flush darkly as his heart flutters in his chest at the way she says 'my kitty', and he pulls her closer and buries his face in her hair again to avoid any questions over it. "Sorry," He mutters. She opens her mouth to say he should be apologising to himself, but she decides again it. Cat doesn't need to ridiculed, even if he is wrong.

"You're fine," She says, pulling back from him. Wanting to turn the mood back to a brighter one, she crawls towards where she's set up her computer and picks up two of the five movies she's brought up from downstairs (she's not planning for them to watch them all, it's just so they have more options to choose from). "Do you want to watch _The Rescuers_ or _Shrek_ or something else?"

They end up putting _Shrek_ on, but neither really watch it as they're too busy eating the macarons and chocolate eclairs and store–bought lollies and talking nonsense that, should anyone overhear them, they would immediately get sent to an asylum for, but it makes perfect sense to the two of them. Plagg joins them occasionally to collect his cheese puffs (and some macarons, to Adrien's surprise, but he doesn't know that they're actually for Tikki and Wayzz), but for the most part it's just the two of them, living in their own little world, protected from everything by a fort made of floral–patterned sheets and fairy lights. Marinette tells Adrien everything that happened at school that day, and they both theorise about what will or won't happen tomorrow. They joke about the cluelessness of Marinette's (well, their) classmates and teachers, and laugh about some of Lila's more outlandish lies, which, now that the threat is gone, are much more ridiculous rather than hurtful.

"A _napkin_? _Seriously_?" Adrien laughs so hard tears of joy stream from his eyes as he doubles over, clutching his stomach, Marinette in a similar position beside him. He rolls onto his back and puts one hand behind his head, the other still resting on his full stomach, fully aware that he'll have a nasty stomach ache and possibly a pimple or two in the morning, but not caring in the slightest. "Who would even believe that that could take someone's eye out?"

"My whole class, apparently." Marinette giggles and lays down next to him, close but not touching. As if they're opposite ends of a magnet, they find their hands gravitating towards each other until their hands are entwined between them. Marinette rocks her head towards him and grins. "Oh, your friend," She glances away from him to stare up at the roof of the fort, missing Adrien's momentarily panicked expression before he forces his face back to neutral as she looks back at him (not that she would really be able to see much with the mask in place). "He wouldn't happen to be Marc, would he?"

Adrien blinks. _Who's Marc? Nathaniel's boyfriend, Reverser, you idiot_, his brain reminds him. His brain who sounds remarkably similar to Plagg. "Oh, uh . . . n–"

"Wait," Marinette releases his hand and sits up. She turns to face him, crossing her legs. "Don't tell me, I shouldn't have asked." She gives him an almost knowing smile and he frowns and sits up. "It might compromise your identity."

"It's okay, I trust you." He smiles, taking her hand in his again. His grin widens as her soft skin slips over his, overjoyed that he can actually feel her without a magic suit being in the way.

"You do?" She whispers, eyes widening even as a small smile turns up the corners of her lips. Her lips that look so soft and plump and possibly taste like the chocolate éclair she just–_stop_.

"Of course." His eyes flick up from her lips and lock with her eyes. "You're my princess."

"And you're my kitty." Marinette murmurs. She shifts closer so she's sitting between his legs and wraps her arms around him in a hug. Her eyes soften as she gazes at him, and then before he can even comprehend what is happening, she leans forward and kisses his cheek, giggling at the blush that instantly lights up his cheeks.

"I–uh–I thought I was your superhero Godcat." He stammers, his own arms winding around her waist to return the hug (and to keep her from moving away, because Marinette hugs are the best hugs).

"Cat," She shakes her head, cupping his cheek. She purses her lips, trying to think of how to word what she's thinking without hurting his feelings. This time she doesn't miss the way he stares at her lips, but she chooses to ignore it for the sake of her ability to think clearly. "I don't want you to be my superhero Godcat."

"What? Why not?" He frowns, his grip tightening around her to stop her from pulling away (not that she was going to).

"Because you started being my superhero Godcat because you thought I needed a guardian, but I don't need a guardian." Tears prick in her eyes as she gazes at him, her other hand reaching up to cup his other cheek. "I need you, as yourself."

"And you have me. This is me, as myself. No mask."

"There is one mask." Her finger traces around the mask she made him and he giggles at the sensation of her finger running across his skin.

He shakes his head slightly, so as not to jostle her finger from where it's now tracing across his forehead. "Only in the literal sense. All the rest of me is bare, ready for your nit–picking." He grins at her scoff.

"I don't nit–pick." She flicks his ear and he giggles, dodging her next flick.

"Mmm. Not yet."

She rolls her eyes. "You're lucky I love you." She murmurs, before giving his shoulders a little shove and crawling away to get another macaron.

Her words ring in his head, freezing him to the spot, as the biggest smile of his entire life takes over his entire face. His heart floods with so much joy and gratefulness and _love_ that it almost overwhelms him, making his vision go fuzzy for a moment. When it comes back into focus, he's greeted with the sight of Marinette laughing at something that Donkey's saying, a half–eaten macaron hovering in front of her lips. As if sensing his gaze on her, she turns her head and meets his eye, smiling a smile meant for him and only him.

A smile telling him he's home.


	25. Creative Block

**Chapter Twenty Five – Creative Block**

Marinette stares up at the fort ceiling, her eyes going in and out of focus. The only sound is Cat's rhythmic breathing, and whereas last night it put her to sleep, tonight it's not having the same effect on her. She'd like to put her insomnia down to not wanting to see Cat Blanc in her dreams again, but she knows it's more than that. There are several things more than that.

There's the continued aftermath of the Lila situation to get through tomorrow at school (and the next day, and the next week, and month, and maybe even the next year if her classmate's devotion to apologising is anything to go by). There's the pregnancy rumour that may or may not have gone away now that Lila's lies have been exposed – after all, she did have 'evidence' to validate her lie this time. There's the issue with bringing up the idea of a reveal with Cat, when she's Ladybug, and hoping that it doesn't change anything too much. There's still the whole Guardian thing and not knowing what the fuck she's doing and having next to no clue what she's _supposed_ to do. Is she supposed to go to the temple in Tibet and give the miracle box back? Is she supposed to keep it? Is she supposed to give out Miraculous' to people to become her and Cat's allies?

She has too many questions and no answers, and no way to figure out those answers. She doesn't even know how to use half of the Miraculous', and she has no idea what she's going to do when she or Cat run out of the power enhancing treats, and she'll have to make up that potion without Master Fu and . . . it's just too much to handle.

Cat murmurs something in his sleep and she turns her head to look at him. The fairy lights are still on so she can see him pretty well, and she can see that his mask has shifted slightly and is a little lopsided. She considers fixing it, but she doesn't want to risk waking him. Just because she can't sleep doesn't mean he shouldn't be able to too. As she watches him, he nuzzles into the pillow he's lying on and curls into a tighter ball, his lips twitching in a smile and his eyes moving behind his 'lids. She assumes he's dreaming and hopes it's good.

Marinette shifts slightly and it must move something inside her because suddenly she needs to pee really badly. She lays still for a moment, not wanting to get up, before getting up and crawling out of the tent, deciding that maybe using the bathroom will make her tired somehow. Perhaps that's why she's awake, because she needs to pee?

After using the bathroom, she stays downstairs in the lounge room and stands in front of the windows with her arms wrapped around her middle, shivering in the coolness lingering in the apartment. Without the heat of the ovens on in the bakery the upstairs rooms often get quite cold at night, but during the day it's normally so hot it's almost unbearable, and they often have to have the air conditioning on even in the winter just so they don't accidentally cook themselves. In the last few weeks, however, Marinette's found it increasingly difficult to get warm. In fact, the only time she felt even remotely warm was last night when she was cuddled up with Cat. Obviously having another person to share body heat with is more efficient than having five different blankets on your bed.

Marinette's eyes wash over the city spread out in front of her. Although all she can see are the lights from the streets and buildings and the odd car, she still finds herself scanning the perimeter, looking for danger. Looking for _him_. She knows it isn't logical, but besides from when she actually fought him in the timeline, all the other times she's seen him have been at night, and she's not just talking about the time of day.

It's the weirdest thing. It's as if the moon is shining a spotlight on him and it enhances the whiteness of his suit to the point that it's almost blinding. He'll be steadily circling her, prowling around her like she's his prey. And she is. She is his prey. Even when he's far away she can feel his eyes on her, hear his breathing. And then his voice.

It's invades her mind, blocking out all her other senses, until the only thing she can hear, see, smell, touch, think is his voice. _Our love did this, Marinette_. It's like that scene in _the Deathly Hallows_, when Voldemort demands to be given Harry, only unlike then when she knew it was created through the use of special effects, when it happens to her it's so real because it was real and she knows that's it's not just going to go away. Not until she defeats him. Fights him. But she can't fight him. He's so strong and she's weak and useless and she needs him to fight but she doesn't have him because _he's_ him and all she can do is stay still and pretend he can't see her until he's right in front of her and reaching for her earrings, demanding her Miraculous, and then she's running, only suddenly she isn't Ladybug, she's herself and she's up on the roofs and she can't run fast enough or leap far enough and she knows that one wrong move and she'll either be dead or he'll–

"Marinette?"

She jolts out of her thoughts and jumps back from the window. Her breathing is borderline hyperventilation and she can feel tears drying on her cheeks. She's hugging herself so tightly it's actually hurting, and when she releases herself to hold her hands out for Tikki to sit on they are shaking and her arms are numb from being clenched so tightly. Still she smiles, because Tikki can't know.

"Sorry. I got distracted." She continues to smile even as Tikki frowns at her, concerned. "I should go back up before Cat–"

"He's still asleep." Tikki cuts her off and hovers in front of Marinette's face to look her directly in the eye. Marinette wrings her hands together, but forces herself to hold Tikki's gaze, praying she doesn't see anything there. "What's going on Marinette?"

"What do you mean?"

Tikki purses her lips (do kwami's have lips?) and looks like she's debating whether to ruin the facade or not. "I think you know." She tilts her head, studying her holder who still refuses to give anything away. "I'm worried. You haven't been yourself lately."

"I'm fine Tikki. I've just got a lot of projects right now." She flashes Tikki another smile and goes to move around her to go back upstairs.

Tikki darts in front of her, stopping her from going anywhere. "You and I both know that you haven't had a project since before you became the guardian. You haven't even been designing! For as long as I've known you you've always been designing, even when you were bone tired and had a thousand other things to do." Tikki frowns at her, growing more and more worried as she spells it out for herself for the first time. It wasn't until now that she realised just how much Marinette has changed, and how worried she is for her holder. How did she not notice before?

"I'm just in a bit of a creative block, and I wasn't referring to my designing projects, I was talking about school." Marinette pinches the inside of her wrist, the jolt of pain that shoots up her arm grounding her. "I'm going to start Lycée in a few months, and I need to get ahead in case Hawk Moth starts rearing his ugly head even harder than before. I need to have as much work done now so I don't have to worry about it as much later. And I have to prepare for the brevet exam."

"Is that what you're going to do?" Tikki frowns at her, displeased. "Overload yourself with work to avoid a conflict?"

"I'm not avoiding a conflict." A hint of defensiveness flashes in her tone and she forces herself to take a breath. "You're always telling me how important school is, so if I can get ahead in my projects and I study now, by the time it gets to the brevet exam I will be well prepared to take it, akuma or no akuma." Her eyes suddenly feel very heavy and she sways a little, shifting her weight to one foot to hide it from her kwami. She doesn't need this interrogation to go on for any longer than it has to. "Look, Tikki, I get that you think I'm overworking myself but I'm fine. Really."

Tikki continues to frown, but it softens slightly. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

Nino flashes in Marinette's mind and she almost slaps herself. How did she forget that Tikki would've heard that entire conversation? She literally laid it all out in front of not only Nino, but also her kwami. How stupid could she be? Having one worried Cat and three worried friends is hard enough, but a worried kwami that she can never get away from and who will never stop giving her looks and bugging her with questions and scolding her until she snaps? How is she supposed to handle this?

Marinette loves Tikki – how could you not? – but sometimes the little bug is . . . a little bug–a–lugs. Kind of annoying. Especially when you're doing something she doesn't approve of. It's almost like having a mother for an imaginary friend, only she isn't imaginary and she's worse than a mother because she's small, she fits in your pocket, and _she's always there_. Seriously, how did she forget that?

Marinette smiles at Tikki again and plants a kiss on her forehead. "Of course. But there's nothing to worry about. I promise you."

. . .

Tikki finds Plagg curled up on the pillow Marinette placed him on, the empty plate of cheese next to him. She can hear the deep, even breathing of the kids on the floor, and she's confident that they won't be waking up any time soon. Hopefully not until she's spoken to Plagg. But first, she needs to wake him up, and wake him up quietly.

"Plagg?" She hisses in his ear, letting her antennae tickle him in the hopes of waking him. He twitches and curls into a tighter ball, muttering something under his breath that Tikki assumes is along the lines of 'camembert'. "Plagg, _wake up_."

He groans and blinks his eyes open briefly, before rolling over and seemingly going back to sleep. Tikki rolls her eyes, exasperated. She purses her lips and tilts her head, trying to think of how to wake him. Her eyes land on the plate and a devilish smile graces her lips.

"I suppose you don't want to finish your camembert. I'll just take this away." Picking up the plate, she doesn't even make it to the ladder before Plagg's up and blocking her path with his arms outstretched.

"_Woah_, woah, wo–where's the camembert?" He stares blankly down at the empty plate. Tikki grins and puts it back on Marinette's bed, before grabbing Plagg's arm and dragging him through the skylight.

"I need your help."

"I need camembert." Plagg glares at her and crosses his arms, clearly annoyed.

Tikki rolls her eyes. "M–_bleh_. Master gave you enough camembert to last you a year, you're good." Plagg continues to glare at her and he opens his mouth to retort, but she holds her paw up. "I need your help." She repeats.

"Unless it's with robbing a cheese store, you're on your own." He turns to go back inside, but Tikki grabs his tail, preventing him from leaving.

"Please. It's about Master."

Plagg sighs and turns to face Tikki, although she now has his full attention and he can feel his protectiveness for the princess flicker in his chest. "Can we not call her that? You know she doesn't like it."

"And you know I can't say her name until your holder knows her–"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He waves his paw dismissively. "I'm well aware of the rules. What about the princess? What do you need help with?"

Tikki's expression immediately becomes one of distress. "She's not opening up to me! I know she needs help, but she's not letting me in! She's put all of these walls up and they were never up before and I've never had trouble getting her to talk to me when she's anxious or stressed or upset but now it's like pulling teeth and I don't know what to do and _I can't lose another Ladybug_!" Tikki pants, arms still up in the air from when she was waving them around. Her outburst makes her weary and she drops down to flop back on the deckchair beside the skylight. "Help me, Plagg. Help me help her."


	26. It Can't Be Worse

**Chapter Twenty Six – It Can't Be Worse**

Adrien stares sleepily at the still fast asleep Marinette beside him. Her hair is messy and her blanket has twisted around her in her sleep. Her lips are parted and her eyelids twitch as her eyes move behind them. They're both sleeping on their sides, facing each other, and Marinette's curled into a little ball, knees tucked into her chest and hands curled under her chin. Her head is barely on the pillow and her hair is fanned out behind her.

Adrien can't look away. He can't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the girl sleeping next to him. He had the same problem just yesterday morning, but then the decision was made for him when he had to get home earlier so he could get to school early so he could meet Marinette there and make sure she didn't walk into school alone. Marinette rubs her lips together as he watches and snuggles closer to her pillow, a crease forming in between her eyebrows momentarily before her expression softens again.

"Kid?" Plagg whispers from somewhere behind him.

"Hmm?"

"You need to get going. Your alarm is about to go off." Adrien groans quietly and reluctantly pushes himself up and into a seated position, but his eyes don't leave her. He can't leave her. "Kid, seriously. How are you going to explain your absence to Nathalie if you're not there?"

"I'll be there." Adrien murmurs absentmindedly. He reaches over and tugs a corner of her blanket up so her shoulder is covered. She exhales heavily as he does so, almost as if to say thanks, and he grins.

Plagg hovers in front of his face and gives him a deadpanned expression. "You're not there. You're here. You need to go. Now."

Adrien frowns. "Why do you want to leave so badly? Last night you were itching for me to come here."

Plagg flips upside down and crosses his arms and legs, raising an eyebrow at his holder to hide his guilty expression. "Last night we didn't know her headspace. Now we do. And if you want to be able to come back you need to go."

Adrien wants to fight him, to beg to stay just a little longer. See her wake up, maybe? But he knows that he's right. "Fine." He grumbles, taking one last, longing look at her sleeping form before crawling out of the fort, Plagg following behind him. He hesitates for a moment before edging his way around the fort only to discover that he can't get to her sticky notes without potentially taking down one of the sheets holding the fort together. "Plagg, can you–"

Already knowing what he's asking, Plagg goes through the kwami–sized gap between the support beam and the platform of Marinette's bed. he takes a sticky note off the pile and grabs a pen, before taking them back to Adrien, who automatically goes back inside the tent. Plagg sighs, exasperated, and phases through to see what he's doing. Adrien sits back where he was not even two minutes ago, the blankets under him still warm from his body heat. He taps the pen against his knee, unsure of what to write, before settling with the truth.

_Good morning princess_. _Sorry I'm not here to say so in person, but I had to skedaddle before anyone knew I was gone_. _I had a lot of fun, and I know that today will be absolutely pawsome!_ _I'll try to swing by later if you want me to, and until then I'll be looking out for you_.

_Love, your superhero Godcat_.

He debates whether the 'love' is too much, but ultimately decides to leave it. He sticks the note to the edge of her desk so she'll be able to see it when she sits up, and slips the mask off, leaving it on his pillow. It feels weird after having had it on all night, and even weirder and oddly thrilling to know that if she just opened her eyes now, she'd know who he is. With that thought in mind – and the knowledge that Ladybug will definitely kill him if a civilian was to find out who he was – he ducks down and presses a light, chaste kiss to her cheek before crawling away quickly before his cheeks catch on fire and burn the fort down.

_Oh god, oh god, oh god, did I just do that?_ The cold, early morning wind hits his cheeks and instantly cools them, but he knows he more than likely still looks like a fire truck. Judging by the amused expression Plagg's wearing, he definitely looks like a fire truck. Before his kwami can say anything he calls for his transformation and then Cat Noir is bounding over the rooftops towards the Agreste mansion, trying his best to not think about what just happened because he needs to keep his head on straight if he wants to get home without falling off a building and becoming a kitty pancake.

_I kissed her_. _I actually kissed her! I mean yeah, I kissed her before, but that was on her forehead and it was more out of reflex and she needed the comfort but _I kissed her_! On the _cheek_! And she's never going to know and I don't know if that's good or bad but holy mother of God _I kissed her_!_ Cat grins inanely even as he accidentally hits his head against the top of his window as he dives inside his room, releasing his transformation just as his alarm starts going off. He's still grinning when he's showering, and fixing his hair, and getting dressed ready for when Nathalie comes to collect him for breakfast. She gives him an odd look when he positively beams at her, and then he doesn't stop grinning all through breakfast, or when he has to go back to his room to brush his teeth and gather his things for school. He's still grinning when he climbs into the back of the car, and the Gorilla raises an eyebrow at him before focusing back on the road.

"Go to the bathroom when you get to school." Plagg whispers to him, and finally Adrien stops smiling to frown at the kwami.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Nino's waiting at the bottom of the school steps when the Gorilla pulls up and Adrien says a hasty 'thanks, see you after school' before running over to him, once again grinning.

"Hey!" He can't keep his cheerfulness out of his voice and Nino raises an eyebrow, bemused.

"Hey?" He can tell that Adrien's barely suppressing the urge to squeal happily at whatever's making him smile so much. It's actually a little unnerving, especially since Adrien doesn't usually smile with his teeth. "What's got you so . . ." He doesn't have a word to describe it, so he just gestures in the general direction of his friend.

Adrien opens his mouth to reply, the words 'I kissed Marinette' on the tip of his tongue before reality smashes him in the face. He can't tell Nino he kissed Marinette because _he_ didn't kiss Marinette, _Cat Noir_ kissed Marinette and how would Adrien know that Cat Noir kissed Marinette unless he was Cat Noir and Marinette doesn't know that Cat Noir kissed her so how on earth would he know that Cat Noir kissed her and the more he's saying it in his head the creepier it sounds and _oh my God_ _did he just accidentally sexually assault her like the princes in _Snow White _and_ Sleeping Beauty_!?_

"U–Uh . . ."

"Hey guys!" Adrien's head swivels to the side so quickly he's pretty sure he's just given himself whiplash. He can feel Plagg poking him insistently, but he ignores the kwami in favour of the smile Marinette gives him when their eyes meet. She skips over, bumping her shoulder against Nino's when she comes to a stop. "Ready for the aftermath?"

Nino beams at her, bumping his shoulder back against hers. "You're awfully chipper this morning?" He raises an eyebrow questionably but his smile doesn't wane.

"I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders." Her eyes flick between Nino's and Adrien's, and they seem to sparkle with a sense of knowingness that has Adrien's heart skipping a beat for a reason his brain is completely unaware of. "Like I can breathe again."

"Good." Nino wraps an arm around her shoulders and starts guiding her up the stairs. "Breathing is important." Marinette snorts.

Marc and Nathaniel are waiting just inside the doors and Adrien tenses slightly, unsure how Marinette's going to react to Nathaniel being there, but she just exchanges pleasantries with them and answers their questions enquiring into how she's feeling about yesterday, and then Nino invites them to join them on their walk to the classroom, which they readily agree to. If Adrien has any more lingering doubt about whether Marinette's upset with Nathaniel for believing Lila over her, it's erased when she spends the entire walk to the classroom asking him and Marc about their next comic book. Her eyes light up as Nathaniel describes the artwork and Marc describes the plot, and she doesn't stop smiling the entire way to the classroom. Adrien knows this because he hasn't stopped looking at her since she arrived, but she doesn't seem to have noticed.

Judging by the smirk on Nino's face and the wriggle of his eyebrows every time he catches Adrien's eye, Nino does. Adrien can't bring himself to be embarrassed though, not when he's walking beside the most beautiful girl in the world, possibly even the universe. When they reach the classroom door, Marc gives Marinette a one–armed hug, kisses Nathaniel's cheek, and promises to meet them in the art room at lunch before going to his own class. Nino steps closer to Marinette and wraps an arm around her waist, ducking down to whisper in her ear.

"Are you sure you're ready? I tracked down the _Harry Potter_ books in the library yesterday in case we need them."

Marinette giggles but shakes her head. "I need to get this over with." She inhales deeply and releases it as she looks back at the still closed classroom door. "It can't be worse than yesterday."

Nino tightens his arm around her in a hug, before releasing her in favour of taking her hand. "If you're sure?"

"I'm not." They're speaking at normal volume now and Nathaniel frowns at her in concern and squeezes her shoulder in support. "But I can't put this off for forever."

"It'll be okay, Mari." Adrien says, smiling at her as warmly as he possibly can.

She manages a small smile in return, heart rate beginning to increase as the anticipation starts to make her panic. Before her panic completely overwhelms her, she pushes open the door and steps into the classroom, Nino's hand in hers helping to ground her.


	27. Queen of Flustered

**Chapter Twenty Seven – Queen of Flustered**

Marinette's cheek tingles with the feeling of Cat's lips against it. The last time he kissed her – well, Ladybug – on the cheek it was shocking, and it tingled, but it wasn't as electrifying as this time. This time her nerve endings are on fire, warmth has spread throughout her body from her heart. Not even the feeling of Lila's eyes staring daggers into the back of her head can quell the fire raging inside her. And she can't stop smiling. Like, at all. It's like the wind has changed directions and her face is now stuck like this. She can tell that she's confusing Nino – after all, just yesterday she was in a funk so deep the Mariana Trench would've been able to fit inside it – but even that doesn't stop her joy from escaping her in the means of a smile.

"Girl," Alya whispers in her ear. Marinette immediately stiffens, smile slipping of her face faster than she thought possible, immediately thinking back to the last few times Alya confronted her and started with 'girl'. "What's gotten into you? Did you get lucky or something?"

"What?" Marinette's voice comes out so soft she's basically just mouthing the word.

Alya grins at her. "Come on. I've seen the way Luka looks at you. You've got him so _whipped_." Her smile turns sly. "It looks like he's got you too."

Marinette stares at her, lips parted in surprise. _Is this about the pregnancy rumour?_ "Is this about Lila's lie about me being pregnant? Because if it is then–"

"No, of course not." Alya waves her hand dismissively, but Marinette still sees her eyes flick down as if checking for a baby bump, and Marinette barely resists rolling her eyes. "You've just been so happy today I figured you must've had a _very good_ night." Alya's gaze is suggestive, but Marinette's not entirely sure of what. _Are we still talking about Luka?_

"I–I mean I slept well." Marinette tugs on a loose piece of hair nervously, glancing at Ms Bustier to see if she's noticed they're talking instead or reading, but she's preoccupied with something on her tablet.

"I bet you did!" Alya squeals quietly, gripping Marinette's forearm tightly, and Adrien and Nino glance back at them briefly before returning to their books, although Marinette can't help but notice that they appear to still be listening intently. "What was it like? What's _he_ like. He's older than you so I'm sure he has some experience. Is he hung?"

Marinette blinks at her, confused, although she can feel her cheeks flushing slightly at the suggestive meaning behind the questions, although she's still a little lost on _what_ Alya's suggesting. _What does 'hung' mean, and what does it have to do with Luka?_ "What?" She repeats. Alya just smirks at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I get it, you don't want to talk in class." Alya pats her forearm and picks her book back up, but Marinette can tell she's not actually focused on it. "We'll talk at lunch."

"Actually, at lunch I'm–"

"Don't worry," Alya winks at her. "I'm not going to ask for _too_ many details."

Marinette shakes her head in exasperation. What _just happened?_ She glances back at the boys in front of them and is surprised to find Nino's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. As if sensing her eyes on him he glances over his shoulder and catches her eye. She tilts her head in a silent question, eyes flicking to Alya pointedly. His flush gets darker and he shrugs and quickly turns around, ducking his head as if to hide from prying eyes. _What?_

It's only when Marinette repeats Alya's questions in her head a few times that she realises what she means – and what she's implying – so as soon as the bell goes for lunch Marinette bolts out of her seat, not even stopping to put her things in her bag. She just picks them up and carries them in her hands. She's the first person in the art room – unsurprisingly – but then Nathaniel, Marc and Nino join her a few minutes later, by which point she's calmed down enough to no longer be on the verge of a panic attack.

"Are you oaky Mari?" Nathaniel asks, taking a seat across from her. "You left class pretty quick. You know we would've stopped Lila from approaching you if you were worried about that."

Nino nods in agreement as he takes his seat next to her and pulls a sandwich out of his bag. Marinette smiles, knowing that he must've brought his lunch from home figuring that they'd more than likely not make it to the cafeteria. She opens and closes her mouth a few times, unsure if this is something she should share with them (both because of her embarrassment and theirs) before deciding it's not worth it and just shrugging slightly. Marc and Nathaniel smile at her kindly and start working on their comic, and Nino devours his sandwich in a few bites before pulling his tablet out of his bag and opening a word document. He slides it over to her a moment later.

A_re you okay? After the whole Alya thing?_

Marinette glances up at Nino and he smiles sheepishly, adjusting his hat nervously.

_I'm fine_.

_Are you sure? I don't really know why she was asking you those questions, but if you want me to talk to her about them I can_. _She'll listen to me_.

Marinette raises and eyebrow in an 'are you sure about that' kind of way and he laughs through his nose.

_I'm fine_. _She just caught me off guard_. _And telling her to not ask those questions is just fuelling her journalistic tendencies_.

_More like tabloid_. Nino rolls his eyes, annoyed. _What if I talk to her about time and place?_

_Then she'll just corner me in the locker room or bathroom or something_. _I think it's just easier to ignore her_. _And avoid her_. _At least for a little while_.

_Fair enough_. _But if you need me to run interference, I'm your guy_. _And don't worry, I'm pretty sure sunshine didn't overhear, and if he did he wouldn't know what Alya was talking about anyway_.

Marinette smiles. _I wish_ I_ didn't know what Alya was talking about_.

Nino snorts. _Yeah_. _Me too_. _Luka being 'hung' or not isn't exactly something I want to think about_.

Marinette frowns, even more confused, and innocently types: _What does 'hung' mean?_

She doesn't think she's ever seen someone become so flustered so quickly, and she's the _queen_ of flustered.

. . .

Adrien has fencing after school and he asks Marinette to wait with him so they can talk. She assumes he wants to make sure she's okay, and she thinks back to Cat's friend who is in her class. _Could his friend be Adrien?_ That would certainly explain how he knows she's been more closed off, and it would explain the first time he came into her room and saw her Adrien shrine. He looked like a stunned mullet for ten minutes straight while she stammered out some excuse about supporting him and liking the clothes. In hindsight it would've just made more sense to admit she likes him; she wouldn't be the first and she won't be the last.

She pushes these thoughts out of her head as she makes her way down the stairs to the courtyard. She didn't see the point in going home, so she just went to the library to get some homework done, which she did sitting on the floor of the religious section so Wayzz and Tikki could stretch their legs a little – plus they were both curious about all the talk about Harry Potter and wanted to check him out for themselves. Now it's about fifteen minutes before fencing starts (if she's remembering Adrien's schedule correctly, because while she no longer has it hung up on her wall she does still remember certain parts of it) and she knows that Adrien will be arriving shortly.

"What do you think he wants to talk about?" Tikki asks excitedly, peaking her head out of Marinette's purse as she sits down on a bench near the lockers.

"He probably just wants to see how I'm doing." Marinette smiles at Tikki – and Wayzz when he sticks his own head out to see what's happening around them – but doesn't comment on her kwami's enthusiasm. _She's probably excited for tonight_, Marinette muses to herself. She can only hope that Cat doesn't find it too weird she's left the fort up if he stops by to visit – the very thought has her, once again, grinning inanely – or that the kwamis don't get _too_ excited and wake her parents.

Before she can get too wrapped up in her thoughts again, she spots Adrien making his way up the stairs. She's about to get up to meet him, but then he pauses and turns, and Kagami comes into view. Marinette hesitates, biting her lip, as she watches them have what seems to be a pretty deep conversation. They move to sit down together on a bench beside the doors. Adrien has his back to her, but Kagami's facing her, and she can see Kagami seeing her. She makes a face (not really in a negative way, more so in a confused and concerned way) and Marinette glances away, suddenly feeling guilty.

_What am I thinking? I can't talk to Adrien before fencing because that's when he talks to Kagami_. _Kagami: his girlfriend_. _Idiot_. _Idiot_. _Idiot_. _What was I thinking? I'm supposed to not like him anymore because he's Kagami's, not mine_. _He will never be mine, and he will never _want_ to be mine, so I need to stop kidding myself and jumping at the chance to talk to him every chance I get_. _I need to be his friend, but I need to be Kagami's too_. _And that means I can't be here_.

Marinette steals one last glance at Adrien and Kagami – neither notice, at least she hopes neither notice – before making a beeline for the locker room (which isn't hard because she is sitting right next to it) because she knows from being Ladybug that there's a window in the girl's bathroom that can't be locked, so she can transform and get home that way rather than risking getting caught by either Adrien or Kagami while leaving through the school doors. She pushes open the bathroom door and does a stall check to make sure no one's there, before double–checking that the window is actually unlocked, just in case.

She can feel her heart rate picking up, her fear of getting caught not just as Ladybug in the school bathroom but by Kagami in the school bathroom where Adrien's having his fencing practice. She opens her mouth to say 'Tikki, spots on!' but before the words can come out (and thank _God_ for that!) the bathroom door is shoved open and her words dissolve into a strangled squeak.

"Hello, Marinette Dupain–Cheng." Lila smirks, crossing her arms. The air around her is tense, dangerous, and Marinette starts shaking like a leaf. "You didn't think I was going to stop making your life miserable just because you exposed me as a 'liar', did you?"


	28. Playing Games

**Chapter Twenty Eight – Playing Games**

Marinette's eyes dart around the room, looking for an escape route, but Lila's blocking the door and the window she goes out as Ladybug is one of those small, rectangular ones at the top of the wall, right underneath the ceiling. She has difficulty getting out as Ladybug, as Marinette it would be next to impossible. Lila's eyes are shooting daggers at her as she continues to smirk.

"I didn't expose you as a liar." Marinette says, but there's no fight behind it. Only fear. And Lila knows it.

"No, but you didn't stop it." Lila moves towards her and Marinette moves back until she's pressed up against the wall and Lila's towering over her despite them being almost the same height. "That was a bad decision." Her eyes flash dangerously and Marinette swallows nervously. She can feel the pressure of Tikki and Wayzz against her leg, trying to give her strength. Or trying to calm her down so Hawk Moth doesn't send an akuma. Either one.

"Can you just tell me what you want?" Marinette mumbles, eyes flicking down to the ground so she doesn't have to look at the fire in Lila's eyes. "I'm sick of playing your games."

Lila laughs unhumorously and leans her hands on the wall on either side of her head, leaning in close so she can hiss at her and no one will overhear. "The game has only just started, Dupain–Cheng." Marinette's lip trembles. "Do you think lying is the only card I've got?"

Marinette tries to swallow, but her mouth is dry and her throat has closed up. Still, she is determined to ask, to know. "What are you going to do? No one will believe you."

Lila raises an eyebrow and uses one hand to flick her hair over her shoulder, the other still blocking Marinette from escaping. "Like they believed you? Yeah, right." She snorts bitterly. "Your stupid little classmates are so gullible all it will take is one piece of evidence against you to have them crawling back to me."

"N–No, it won't." Marinette's voice wavers, because even she knows that that could very well be possible. Just because the class knows that Lila lies doesn't mean that they know what Lila's truly like; what she's capable of.

Lila smiles sardonically. "Your faith in your classmates is adorable." Lila drops her arms but doesn't step back from her. "Do you actually think that just because they apologised for not believing you this time they'll automatically believe you next time?" Lila doesn't wait for her to answer. "If I was you I'd fuck off, because it's only going to get worse." She smiles again and Marinette shivers, curling in on herself even more. Lila spins around and flounces towards the door. When she reaches it she stops and looks back at Marinette, eyes flashing dangerously and self–satisfied smirk pinching her face. "You may not want to play, but you don't have a choice. I'm better than you, and you're not going to forget it. So, either fuck off or start playing."

She half expects Lila to slam the door shut, but instead it shuts softly and plummets the bathroom into silence. Silence save for the deep, erratic breaths Marinette is taking. Her eyes fill with tears, making her vision go fuzzy, and she slides down the wall and hugs her knees to her chest. _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry_. She squeezes her eyes closed, digs her fingernails into her palms, holds her breath, but still the tears come and all she can do is hold a hand over her mouth so no one overhears. _I'm a superhero! I shouldn't be scared of Lila! I battle akumas and almost die doing so every day, this shouldn't be making me cry!_

"Marinette?" Her eyes shoot open and she lifts her head to come face to face with Tikki. "It's going to be okay."

Marinette nods and wipes her cheeks. "Yes, I should calm down."

Tikki frowns, concerned. "That's not what I–"

"Do you think we could go for a run? I–I need to clear my head." Tikki sighs and nods meekly. There will be time to talk to her holder later.

. . .

_Mum, Dad, Cat Noir, Tikki, Wayzz, Plagg, Master Fu, Grandma, Grandpa_.

_Mum, Dad, Cat Noir, Tikki, Wayzz, Plagg, Master Fu, Grandma, Grandpa_.

_Mum, Dad, Cat Noir, Tikki, Wayzz, Plagg, Master Fu, Grandma, Grandpa_.

Ladybug repeats the list in her head like a mantra. Her feet barely touch the roofs beneath her before she's swinging off, going faster and faster away from school. Away from Lila. She's never travelled this far or this fast before, not even when fighting an akuma. The sun is beginning to set and she knows she has to turn back, go home, come up with some excuse to her parents and finish her homework. She needs to come up with an excuse for Adrien as well, she realises, and she can almost feel her heart grow one pound heavier.

She finally stumbles to a stop and almost falls onto the roof beneath her. She places her hands on her knees and ducks her head, trying to catch her breath despite the lump in her throat and erratic beating of her heart pounding in her ears. There's a tsunami of emotions inside her and she has no idea when it's going to come crashing down.

_Mum, Dad, Cat Noir, Tikki, Wayzz, Plagg, Master Fu, Grandma, Grandpa_ . . .

_Nino_.

She's forgotten Nino. How could she forget _Nino_? Ladybug forces herself upright and grips her side where a stich formed long ago but she ignored. Now the pain almost makes her double over, but she refuses to fall. _How did I manage to forget_ Nino_?_ She shakes her head and drops her face into her hands, groaning. A cold wind blows, cooling her already numb cheeks even further, but her suit keeps her otherwise protected. _Because I wanted to forget school_, she realises and it's like a weight has been removed from her shoulders. Her knees buckle and she collapses onto the roof, hunched over as if to hide her face from the stars emerging above her.

"Milady?" She jumps at the sudden voice and spins around. Cat Noir is doubled over a few meters behind her, and he holds up a finger to ask her to wait a minute while he catches his breath. "_Lord_, you're fast." He groans, using his staff to hoist himself upright. He sends her a crooked smile and shuffles closer. "Please tell me there isn't an akuma," He collapses next to her and leans back on his hands, still inhaling deep breaths to replenish his oxygen levels. "I am _way _to knackered after that sprint. _Geez_, where are you _going_?" He smiles at her easily, but his eyes are concerned, begging her to answer the question.

"I–" Ladybug's voice comes out crusty and she swallows. "I . . . I don't know. I just . . . I don't know." She shakes her head and drops it back into her hands, tears pricking her eyes as if she hasn't already cried enough.

"Hey," Cat hesitates for a moment before putting an arm around her, his need to comfort her overriding his fear that she'll push him away. Or throw him off the roof. "It's okay. I get it." He doesn't, but hopefully she can't tell. "We all need to run to the other side of Paris sometimes."

Ladybug lets out a weak giggle and lifts her head from her hands, sniffing. She wipes her nose on the back of her hand. "Yeah." She lifts her gaze to look over the horizon in front of them. Their backs are to the sun set, so their shadows stretch across the entire roof of the building they are on. Stars have begun peeking through the setting sky in front of them. She counts six without turning her head. "How'd you find me?"

Cat shifts slightly and he removes his arm from around her. She shivers at the lack of contact but doesn't say anything. She's not Marinette right now; she can't get close to him; can't let him in. "Your tracker. I saw you and transformed, thinking there was an akuma, but then you kept going so I decided to follow you." He looks at her profile and smiles. "You move _way_ too fast, though. I thought you were trying to run all the way to Switzerland."

She snorts. "No. Not today."

The sit in silence for a moment, watching more and more stars emerge. It's peaceful in a way that she hasn't felt in a while, and she finds herself relaxing even more, copying Cat's position with her legs laid out in front of her and leaning back on her hands. The sun sets even more and she feels Cat shift next to her and glances over to see him checking the time on his staff. He bites his lip anxiously and jiggles his leg, as if anticipation to move is running through him but he can't bring himself to actually get up.

"What time is it?"

"Late," Is all he says and she frowns, even more concerned when the anxiety in his voice is as clear as day. She sits up fully and tucks her feet beneath her, turning to face him fully.

"Do your parents . . ." He shakes his head. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." He tries to smile but it wavers. He reaches up to scratch the back of his neck. "My dad has probably contacted the police and sent out a search party by now."

Ladybug hums and glances down at her hands. "Mine too." She swallows nervously before spinning around so her back is to him. "I'm going to detransform and give them a call." She hears his sharp inhale behind her but she ignores it. "Maybe you should do the same."

Cat swallows anxiously and his heart pounds even harder in his chest, even as he mirrors her position with his back to her. Once he might've leant back against her in an effort to maybe, possibly, get some kind of hint into who she is, but now he keeps a distance between them. _She wants to detransform? And she wants _me_ to detransform?_ "Are you sure?"

"No. But it'll be worse if we don't." With that she says the words and then a pink light shines around him, illuminating the roof and creating a shadow in front of him, not just beside. He follows suit quickly and squeezes his eyes closed on instinct. "You good?" Her voice sounds different without his enhanced hearing, but still the same.

Adrien nods stupidly and Plagg snorts. "She can't see you, dumbarse."

"Plagg!" A high–pitched voice chides and Adrien smiles, knowing it's Tikki. "Ignore him, Cat Noir. And you can open your eyes." He does so to find that the sun has set even further and he can barely see to the end of the roof now. The last rays of light shine from his right side and makes black spots dance in front of his vison as his eyes strain to adjust. He supposes that's yet another advantage of the suit, one he never realised before.

"I'm okay." He answers.

Marinette smiles. "Good." Plagg comes into her line of sight and nuzzles into her cheek before ducking into her purse with Tikki and Wayzz, where it's warmer. "I'm going to call my parents, so . . . try not to listen."

Adrien swallows nervously and reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone. "You too, LB."


	29. Calling the Parents

**Chapter Twenty Nine – Calling the Parents**

Anxiety washes over Marinette in waves as the phone rings. She figured at this time of day she'd have a better chance of reaching them if she called the bakery phone, but after five rings she's doubting herself. The phone goes to voicemail, her dad's cheery voice making her smile and she almost hangs up when the phone clicks.

"Hello? Hello? Marinette?" Her mum's voice is frantic and Marinette swallows down her guilt so she can answer – and hopefully not give too much away to Cat.

"Hi Mum."

"Marinette, of thank God! Tom? Tom, Mari's on the phone." Sabine lets out a sigh. "You've had us worried sick. Where are you?"

"Um . . ." She can't really say 'on a roof on the other side of Paris'. "I'm . . . safe."

"'Safe'? That's good, but where are you? Are you with someone?"

"Yes. I'm . . ." She swallows and almost looks back at Cat – who she can hear occasionally talking in muted tones to who she assumes is his dad since he's never mentioned a mum – before she stops herself and forces her eyes forward. "I'm with a friend. You don't have to worry."

"Of course I'm worried!" Sabine's worry quickly turns into anger and Marinette winces but keeps the phone to her ear in case Cat can overhear. "I haven't seen you since this morning! You didn't even come home for lunch, and then you didn't answer your phone! How could I _not_ be worried?"

"I–I'm sorry Mum." She tries to swallow the lump forming in her throat. "I . . . Li– . . . can we talk at home? Please?"

There's a pause. "Was it that girl? Lila?" Her dad asks this, so she assumes that her mum's either passed the phone to him or it's on speaker.

"Y–Yeah. I just . . . I needed to get away for a while. But I am safe and I'm on my way back."

"Tell me where you are, I'll come get you." Sabine says.

"_No_!" Marinette cringes at her shout and puts a hand over the speaker momentarily, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "No, it's fine. I'll be there soon. I promise. You don't have to–I mean . . . I'm okay. I'm safe. You've met my friend before and you liked him."

"_Him_?" She facepalms at the excited tone in her dad's voice. "Which him? Who are you with? Is he your boyfriend? Sweetie, why didn't you tell us? Will we get to meet him? _Oh_, he must stay for din–"

"Tom, calm down." Sabine says, although Marinette can hear the amusement in her voice. "Remember what happened last time?"

"Eh, Cat Noir survived."

"Barely." Marinette mutters. "No Dad, he's not my boyfriend, he's just someone I trust, who is my friend, who went after me when I ran." The fact that he's wearing a cat suit and chased her over rooftops for an hour is beside the point. "And you won't get to meet him, at least not tonight. He has to get to his own home."

"Okay, sweetie." Her mum says before her dad can say anything. "We'll see you soon?"

"Yes."

"You will call us if you change your mind and want us to pick you up?"

"Yes. Definitely."

"Okay. We'll . . . we'll talk when you get home."

"I promise. I love you." Her parents chorus an 'I love you too' before she hangs up. She can still hear Cat murmuring to himself behind her and when she puts her phone back in her purse she notices that Plagg's gone, but she knows that he's comforting Cat and she smiles.

Adrien, on his part, listens to Nathalie's lecture about how irresponsible he is and that he should be grateful that Nathalie assumed he had simply run off with Kagami – he must tell her they broke up at some point, especially before they have to do any more 'date' type stuff, like go to Galas – and therefore has not alerted his father (yet) and instead had sent the Gorilla out to find him (shockingly, he has been unable to do so, so far). Despite the anger in her voice, even Adrien can hear the undertone of worry and relief. Not for the first time he thinks of how different (how . . . _nice_) his life would be if his father realises how much Nathalie loves him and gives her a chance. It's not like his mother seems to be coming back anytime soon, and he's always been quite fond of Nathalie.

Once he has finally managed to convince her to let him hang up (she was determined to have him stay on the line until he was safely inside the Gorilla's car and on the way back to the mansion), by which point Plagg is snuggled into his neck and purring to help keep him warm – don't ask him how, he just puts it down to the power of the kwamis – he feels emotionally drained and has no idea how he's going to make it to the Eiffel Tower in under an hour so the Gorilla can pick him up from his 'date'. Thank god for rush hour, otherwise he may only have ten minutes.

"Everything okay, Cat?" Ladybug asks.

He nods again and Plagg snorts. He rolls his eyes. "Yeah. I just have to get to the Eiffel Tower in less time than I have."

Marinette frowns and opens the train timetables app she has on her phone, doing a location search to find the nearest train station. "We're about a block from a station, and a train is leaving in four minutes for the Eiffel Tower. It'll take you about half an hour. Would that be enough?"

"More than enough." Adrien beams and almost spins around to hug her, before remembering and forcing his eyes straight ahead. "What about you?"

Marinette purses her lips. It would be safer for their identities for him to take the train and her to go via rooftop, but it would be much quicker by train. She'll just have to wait for the next on or the one after that so there isn't a possibility they may run into each other and potentially know/recognise who the other is. Marinette may want to broach the topic of revealing identities, but now isn't the time, and neither is a public place like the Eiffel Tower train station.

"I'll catch the train after you, or the one after that."

Despite his best efforts, excitement bubbles in Adrien's chest and he finds himself grinning inanely once again. "So, you live around the Eiffel Tower, too?"

Marinette closes her eyes. "It's a train Cat. They make other stops." Plagg laughs loudly and gets off his shoulder, clutching his belly and all but pointing at Adrien's stupidity.

Adrien clears his throat. "Right. Well, Plagg, claws out."

Plagg stops laughing immediately. "But I didn't get to say goodbye to the p–"

"That wasn't very nice." Marinette says, before calling on her own transformation. As soon as it's over she's gets to her feet and turns to face her partner, a genuine smile ghosting her lips.

Cat waves his hand dismissively, beaming at Ladybug. "He'll get over it."

She hums and removes her yoyo from her waist in preparation for getting off the roof. "He won't let you forget it. Will you tell him I said goodbye as well?"

"Of course." Cat steps closer to take her hand out of instinct, but thinks better of it. He smiles instead and holds his fist out. "Pound it?"

Ladybug giggles and knocks her fist against his. "Pound it. Thanks kitty."

Cat blinks in surprise, before shaking his head. For a second he could've sworn Marinette's voice just left Ladybug's mouth. "No worries, milady." He dips into an overexaggerated bow and is rewarded with an eyeroll and a fond smile. "You can count on me anytime, day or night."

"So can you." Ladybug almost steps forward to hug him, but quickly reminds herself what persona she currently is.

He's about to leap off the roof in the direction of the station – now that he has his night vision back he can see where it is without having to Google it (or look at his staff map) – when he notices Ladybug's frown. "LB?"

"You haven't called me 'milady' in a while." She muses. Cat jolts slightly and scratches the back of his head, glancing down at the roof beneath their feet. "It's kind of weird hearing it again."

"Sorry, I . . . I'm trying not to call you that because I know you're not actually mine, and that you don't want to be." It's only a half truth, but he doesn't really want to say that he had a girlfriend and now he doesn't have a girlfriend but he likes another girl and apparently has since the start of the year without realising it because that would just be a lot of unnecessary information and he already knows she thinks he's an idiot so he doesn't want to give her any more proof, but he stopped calling her 'milady' in the first place because it felt like he was cheating on Kagami and now it would be impossible to cheat on Kagami because they're not together and . . . it's just a lot to explain. "I guess I slipped back into autopilot a bit there." He grins sheepishly.

Ladybug waves her hand dismissively. "It's fine. Like I said it just sounded a little weird after not hearing it for so long." She smiles. "I like 'LB'."

"Good," He removes his staff from his back and extends it. "Because that's the only nickname I've come up with that you don't hate."

Before she can form a reply, Cat's bounding off the roof and into the night surrounding them. She smiles after him and uses the time before she has to follow suit gazing up at the stars and getting her story straight for her parents. She plans to tell them as much of the truth as she can – even the bit about Cat Noir. She'll tell them that Lila said some things and she got upset and she ran out of school and bumped into Cat Noir who followed after her when she didn't stop and then took her to a place – with other people – so she could be away from everything for a while but she can't remember the name of the place only that it is about forty–five minutes from the school – which will allow her some leeway with how long it's taking her to get home. Yes, that's what she'll say.

. . .

Much to his surprise, when Adrien gets home he discovers that Nathalie still hasn't informed his father of his absence, and doesn't plan to. So long as he never does this again. While he knows he can't entirely promise this – an akuma could attack at any moment and he'll need to disappear to defeat it – he does so anyway, with his fingers crossed behind his back. He's sent up to his room where he immediately showers, and by the time he emerges Nathalie's brought him up his dinner and set it on his desk.

"Do you think Ladybug will be okay?" Adrien asks as he and Plagg eat their dinners (well, cheese in Plagg's case).

Plagg shrugs, or at least does the kwami equivalent of a shrug. "I hope so." He glances up at Adrien before focusing back on his cheese plate. "She's strong, and she has Tikki and Wayzz and the other kwamis. She'll be . . ." He clears his throat, revealing his uncertainty. "She'll be okay, eventually."

Adrien nods and shifts his food around his plate, appetite wanning. "I hope so."

He can't help but think back to when he saw her. He was checking the school steps for Marinette after he and Kagami had a talk to ensure they were both okay in each other's presence – and for her to interrogate him on why he hadn't asked Marinette out yet – when he saw Ladybug running over the rooftops across the street like she was running towards an akuma (because why else would she be going so fast?) and he ducked into an alleyway and transformed without a second thought, chasing after her.

He never imagined the monster she was chasing was internal, or that it would be the closest she had come to letting him in in months.


	30. Acts of Clumsiness

**Chapter Thirty – Acts of Clumsiness**

Thursday arrives and with it slightly warmer weather. Marinette finds herself scrutinising her closet, looking for something to wear that won't make her too hot or too cold or leave her too uncovered for the eyes of her classmates to ponder. It's not that they outright stare at her, waiting for a sign that she is pregnant to show up like a pop–up ad on a website, it's just that their eyes wonder, and she knows what they're thinking. They haven't asked again since Monday, and she hasn't offered any information.

In hindsight she knows she shouldn't have to: they know Lila's a liar and they've known Marinette for years; they should know that she's smart enough to take the proper precautions if she was to have sex (which she definitely doesn't plan to have anytime soon, possibly until she's engaged or married or at least _in a relationship_), and that if she was pregnant she would _talk to them_, not let some girl in the class tell everyone, including her parents, as if she wouldn't be able to do so herself.

She does know that this time it's a little different. Lila has 'evidence', even if it is out of context. Marinette knows that a picture speaks a thousand words, and when all she has to argue is that she was putting the box back on the shelf which makes her sound like she's coming up with excuses more so than telling the truth, there's only one word her classmates are going to hear, and that's 'pregnant'.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Tikki asks, nuzzling into her holder's neck. Marinette sighs, keeping her gaze on her closet but not actually focusing on the clothes hung up in it. "You don't have to go to school. Your parents said that they've started looking into online school and you can switch whenever you want, they just have to talk to Mr Damocles."

Marinette sighs again, knowing that Tikki's repeating what she and Wayzz overheard her parents telling her last night after she explained what happened at school and where she went. After their last talk on Monday, Tom and Sabine decided that online school would be the best course of action, and she can choose to continue online school next year or go to a lycée that _she_ wants to go to rather than the adjoining lycée attached to Françoise Dupont, where most (if not all) of her classmates will be going. They've even contacted the board of studies about what's going on with the school and are pretty confident that an investigation will be underway regarding Mr Damocles' way of 'disciplining' students, and Marinette certainly doesn't want to be there for _that_.

"I'm fine." Marinette says.

She decides to go to the bathroom before getting dressed, and it's only when she does so she realises that her closet has conveniently been split into clothes–to–wear–on–her–period and clothes–_not_–to–wear–on–her–period. After changing her clothes (and her underwear) she exits her room to find a croissant on a plate on the table, along with a cooling cup of tea, neither of which were there when she entered or exited the bathroom, so she assumes Sabine's been upstairs.

She's just sat down to eat it (pick at it, more likely, since she hasn't had much of an appetite lately), when the door to the lounge room opens and she spins around, grin splitting her face in two when Nino emerges, quickly followed by Adrien.

"Hey Mar–Bear," Nino greets, ruffling her loose hair teasingly as he goes past to sit across from her, leaving the seat beside her for Adrien.

"Nino!" Marinette pouts at him and runs her fingers through her hair to smooth it down. "You're such a meanie!" Nino sticks his tongue out at her and she giggles. "How are you Adrien? Are you going to assault my hair too?" Marinette tilts her head at him questionably, forcing a smile to hide her anxiety. _Does he know what happened yesterday? Did he see me run away? Does he think I purposely stood him up because I don't care about our friendship?_

"U–Uh," Adrien gapes at her, still mesmerised by the shine of her hair, the way it falls over her shoulders. He should be used to seeing it out by now, but each time is just as shocking and exhilarating as the last. He doesn't think he's ever going to be able to not stare at her when her hair's down. "I–ah, y–you–um–"

Nino hides his amused smile behind his hand before taking pity on his friend. "I didn't _assault_ your hair," He sticks his tongue out at Marinette again, and she wrinkles her nose playfully in response. "It's not my fault you left it down with an open invitation to mess it up." He smirks at her scoff, and dodges the kick she aims at his feet beneath the table.

"Dork," Marinette murmurs, ignoring his mock–affronted 'hey!' in favour of looking back at Adrien. She pats the sat next to her. "You can sit if you want."

Adrien nods and shuffles over to the seat, settling beside her nervously while trying to keep his knees and elbows close to his body so he doesn't accidentally bump her. He's not usually this nervous or self–conscious around people, but for some reason Marinette With Hair Down makes him especially more anxious.

"Do you want some croissant?" Marinette offers, sliding the plate closer to him. Before he can say anything, Nino reaches across the table and slides it back in front of Marinette.

"Uh–uh, no. That is yours and you are eating it, young lady." He frowns at her in an overprotective brother way and she snorts. His frown deepens, but his lips twitch in an effort not to smile. "I don't see what's so funny, Miss Dupain–Cheng."

"Shall I get you a mirror?" She beams at him innocently and his composure cracks.

Nino's head hits the table as his shoulders shake with laughter and all Marinette can do is clutch the table so she doesn't fall out of her chair as she giggles uncontrollably, squeezing her thighs together so she doesn't wet herself. Adrien laughs to himself, smiling fondly at his friends, but his gaze always comes back to Marinette. He hasn't seen her laugh this hard in months, and rather than feeling jealous at the fact that Nino is who got her here instead of him, he's just happy that she's happy, and that she has someone who can make her laugh this hard.

. . .

Despite his earlier thoughts of not feeling jealous, as soon as Nino loops his arm through Marinette's when they step off the footpath and into the street, Adrien's eyes zero in on the point of contact and he finds himself glaring at his best friend for no reason other than the fact that he's holding Marinette when Adrien isn't. It doesn't help that he's forced to walk behind them because of the people walking in the other direction. As if sensing his mood, Marinette looks over her shoulder and finds his eyes, giving him a small smile when they meet. He literally feels his heart skip a beat, but he's determined to play it cool and not look like an idiot.

"Woah, dude, are you okay?" Nino releases Marinette to pull Adrien back onto his feet, tugging him out of the crossing and onto the footpath where Marinette's standing with a worried expression before a car can run him over.

_At least their arms aren't still looped together_, he thinks dryly as he inspects his hands. His knees also hit the ground when he tripped over the gutter, but in order to inspect them he'd have to take his jeans off and he's not about to do that on the street. Or in front of people.

"That was a pretty nasty fall." Nino frowns at him in concern.

"I guess," Adrien mutters, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. His hands are starting to sting but thankfully aren't bleeding. He hopes he can say the same for his knees. "Sorry." His eyes flick between his friends, who's expressions are still masked in concern.

"Don't apologise." Marinette steps forward and takes his hand in hers, inspecting his palm to check it's not bleeding for herself. Adrien's breath catches in his throat as her Marinette smell invades his senses and it takes everything in him to not tug her closer and burry his nose in her hair. "It doesn't look too bad; you should be able to hold a pen just fine." She smiles at him happily, but her eyes are still worried.

"Y–Yeah," Adrien agrees dumbly. He can feel Plagg wriggling in his pocket, probably trying to contain his laughter, and he squirms uncomfortably at the sensation.

"Nice diagnosis, Doctor Marinette." Nino jokes, nudging her arm with his elbow. "I am well aware you have plenty of experience with injuries sustained from acts of clumsiness, so I know sunshine here is in _very_ good hands." He winks at Adrien, who can only splutter as Marinette swats at Nino's shoulder for the insult, oblivious to the innuendo directed at Adrien.

"I'll diagnose you next," She threatens lightly and Nino snorts. "How are your knees?" She asks, looking back at Adrien.

"Oh, um . . ." He looks down as if he would be able to see them through the fabric. "F–Fine." Marinette steps back, expression calculating as she cups her chin with her thumb and forefinger, eyes trained on his legs. Adrien tries not to shift under her scrutiny, and he glares at the grin Nino's sending him over Marinette's shoulder, clearly pleased with the turn of events. Until Marinette turns to him.

"You'll need to help him check his knees." Marinette tells Nino, having come to the same conclusions that Adrien had come to in regards to not being able to inspect his knees without first removing his pants, and also that it may be difficult for him to see them properly.

"Oh, come on." Nino pouts at her. "Can't you do it?" He replies without thinking. All three of their faces instantly flush darkly and Marinette stutters something unintelligible, waving her hands about her as she shakes her head hastily. "Never mind," He says quickly, grabbing Adrien's arm and starting to drag him towards the school entrance. "I got it."

"I hope you don't get excited over his chicken legs and attack him." A voice says from behind them and they turn to see Chloé getting out of her car.

Adrien glares at her. "I don't have chicken legs."

She shrugs, indifferent, and takes her phone out of her pocket to check it. There's still nothing from Sabrina, so she pockets it again. Her eyes meet Marinette's and she swallows nervously. "How are you?"

Marinette blinks, surprised, before smiling easily at the blonde. "I'm okay. How are you?"

"Fabulous, obviously." She flicks her hair over her shoulder and marches up the steps with an air of confidence hiding her anxiety.

Chloé chews the inside of her lip and pauses at the school doors, looking back down the steps at Adrien, Marinette and . . . Nino. They haven't moved much further, and Nino is whispering in Marinette's ear, no doubt about her, while Adrien is just trying not to look like he's jealous (again) of Nino being close to Marinette. Chloé rolls her eyes and shifts her weight to one foot. She doesn't get why he's going out with that Tsurugi girl when he _so obviously_ is in love with Marinette. She puts it down to his father, as most of the things that Adrien does that make zero sense tend to have something to do with his father.

When Nino finally seems satisfied with whatever Marinette's told him and has stepped back to sling an arm around Adrien's shoulders, Chloé decides that it's now or never, and she doesn't want there to not be a 'never'.

"Hey Marinette?" Three pairs of eyes meet hers, but she only focuses on the one pair.

She hesitates a moment longer, waiting to see if Marinette is going to show any sign of not wanting to be talked to by anyone except for Adrien and Nino, but when she just looks at her expectantly, Chloé relaxes a little more and shifts her weight to one leg, putting her hand not holding her purse on her hip in what she hopes is a casual way and not an I–hope–she–says–yes way.

"Since Sabrina isn't here, do you want to go to the classroom and paint our fingernails? I have pale pink polish? With glitter?"

Chloé remembers that Marinette could never refuse pale pink nail polish (with glitter), and she can only hope that hasn't changed.


	31. Life Raft

**Chapter Thirty One – Life Raft**

Marinette runs her pointer finger over the nail on her thumb, feeling the smooth texture of the polish Chloé painted on her nail that morning. It feels weird having polish on her nails. The last time she painted her nails was probably back in école when she and Chloé were kind of friends – before her mum left and froze her heart, that is. It's weird having Chloé be so nice to her all of a sudden, but this past year she's watched Chloé mature and blossom into a person that is quite likeable, once you get past her haughtiness, that is. And break down a few walls, throw a few masks away, that sort of thing.

She hears a _thump_ on her balcony and smiles, before grabbing Cat's mask and climbing up through the skylight. She shivers in the cold air, but the smile Cat gives her makes up for it.

"Hey princess." Cat greets, moving towards the skylight. Before he can climb through she passes him his mask.

"Pyjamas?"

He grins. "Yep."

Smiling, she ducks back inside and he hears her climb down the ladder to her room. Knowing he's safe to detransform, he does so and immediately slips the mask on and climbs inside, already shivering from the cold. Despite the day being reasonably warm, the nights are still packing punches, it would seem. Plagg gives him a smile before curling up on Marinette's pillow, seemingly intent on sleeping there while he hangs out with the princess.

"More _Gabriel_?" Marinette raises an eyebrow at him, tilting her head in question.

Adrien smiles sheepishly and scratches the back of his neck. "These were also a gift."

Marinette's eyes widen slightly but she doesn't comment further. Instead, she pats the spot next to her on her chaise – which she has moved so it's in front of her computer – and passes him a controller once he's settled. Adrien leans against her casually, relishing in the feeling of their combined body heat soaking into each other and acting as a natural blanket against the cold weather. Of course, it could just be the heat from the ovens in the bakery, but whatever warmth he can get he'll take.

"Are you okay? Usually I don't beat you this many times?" Marinette says after eleven games of Ultimate Mecha Strike, all of which Adrien has lost because he's been more focused on the girl beside him than the battle on the screen.

"I'm fine." Adrien smiles and shifts even closer to her so their legs are touching. Her eyes flick down to the point of contact and he holds his breath, but she doesn't move away and–_did she just move _closer_?_

Marinette studies him, trying to figure out his mindset, understand what he's thinking, get inside his head a little. Alas, all she can decipher is the obvious love in his eyes as he gazes at her, but she can't bring herself fully react to it. She can't freak out, she can't overreact, she can't show any sign that she has noticed because if she lets Cat in, he'll fall in love with her, learn her identity, turn into Cat Blanc, and destroy the universe.

"You're not tired?" She asks, shaking herself out of her thoughts. It's never done her any good to dwell on thoughts of Cat Blanc, and she doesn't want to risk revealing something to him that she shouldn't by having _him_ on her mind.

Adrien smiles slyly and leans closer to her, expression letting her know whatever's coming out of his mouth next is no doubt going to be of the _flirty_ variety. "_Purr_incess? You're _whiskering_ for my cuddling abilities already? I had no idea I had such a _cat_astic hold on you." He grins.

Marinette gives him a blank look and pushes his face back from hers with a finger to his nose, making him giggle. "You're awful, Cat Noir."

"I have a _feline_ you mean '_paw_some'?"

"Nope."

"_Meow_vellous?"

"Definitely not."

"Ecs_cat_ic? _Hiss_terical? A sight _fur_ sore eyes?" His grin widens when Marinette starts giggling and he leans closer to her again, close enough that their noses almost touch. She looks at him and goes cross–eyed. He snorts, dropping his head onto her shoulder.

"You're terrible." She murmurs, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

She runs her hand up and down his back before threading her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and massaging his neck gently. He shifts against her and lets out what sounds like a moan. She flushes and clears her throat, but doesn't halt her movements, choosing to pretend to have not noticed.

"Will you _fur_give me?" He can't resist one more – his last one – and he's rewarded with a groan.

"Only if you stop punning." She tries to sound stern but she fails. Thankfully his face is still hidden in her shoulder so he can't see the smile that's refusing to die down on her lips.

"Deal."

Adrien winds his arms around her waist and pulls her closer until she's sitting sideways on his lap and he no longer has to strain his neck to rest his head on her shoulder. Marinette stiffens slightly, but relaxes again after a moment, shifting closer to him to feel more comfortable. He loosens his arms and lifts his head from her shoulder to allow her to move easier, and once she's settled against him again he tightens his arms and leans his forehead against the side of her head, closing his eyes and letting her Marinette smell wash over him.

"Lila threatened me again." Marinette murmurs and his eyes shoot open. His grip on her tightens even more and she tightens hers in response, her arms slipping around his waist to cuddle him properly.

"'_Again_'?" He questions, fighting hard to keep the anger out of his voice. He doesn't want to scare her.

Marinette nods against him, hair tickling his cheek. "She threatened me a couple of months ago, the same day you fought her as Chameleon." She lets out a long sigh and Adrien nuzzles closer to her, inhaling her scent to keep himself grounded and remind himself that he can't go and cataclysm Lila right now because Marinette needs him. And also that wouldn't be very nice and Ladybug would surely have a fit. "She told me that she would take all of my friends from me, which she did, and then yesterday she told me that it isn't over."

Adrien frowns. "What does she mean by that?"

Marinette shrugs slightly and snuggles closer to him, forcing him to lean back against the backrest of the chaise. She manoeuvres herself so she's in between his legs with her head on his shoulder. She fiddles with the collar of his pyjama shirt and he tries not to squirm as her fingers and knuckles brush against his bare skin.

"Did she try something today?" He didn't notice anything, and as far as he knows Marinette was never alone with Lila. She obviously was at some point though.

"No."

Before either of them can say anything else Marinette's phone starts ringing and she jumps in surprise, accidentally knocking the top of her head against Adrien's chin. He grunts at the impact and recoils from her, rubbing it to dull the slight pain emitting from the area.

"Sorry," She cringes and gets up, grabbing her phone from her desk and answering it without looking at who it is. "Hello?"

"Hello Marinette," Kagami say, formal as ever, and Marinette is torn between smiling because her friend is calling her and panicking because her crush's girlfriend is calling her. She ends up looking like a stunned mullet instead. "Is this a bad time?"

"_What_? _No_, no, of course not." She cringes again and drops her face into her hands, holding back a groan. She chooses to ignore the amused look Adrien's giving her – not that she can really see it under the mask, but she'd know that smile anywhere – and gives him an unimpressed look, which he sticks his tongue out at. "Now is a _perfect_ time to talk."

There's a beat of silence (probably where Kagami's wondering why her voice is so high pitched and it sounds like someone's holding a gun to her head). "Okay?" She says slowly and Marinette releases a sigh, dropping back down onto the chaise beside Adrien. "I was wondering how you are? We haven't talked in a while."

"Oh, um . . ." Marinette clears her throat and tugs on a strand of hair nervously. Adrien frowns and sits back up, shuffling closer to her so he can wrap an arm around her shoulders and lean against her (and _not_ eavesdrop. Nope. No way. Not him.) "Y–Yeah, I've, uh, been a bit busy. School, and, uh, stuff?"

Kagami hums. "You sure it doesn't have anything to do with Adrien?" Marinette freezes, and beside her Adrien stiffens slightly and leans a little closer, curious. "I know you liked him first and that he likes you but I thought he liked me and I _definitely_ like him and I understand that it's a little weird because we used to go out and now he _knows_ he likes you and–"

"Wait, what?" Marinette interrupts. Adrien bites his lip nervously and slips his arm from around her, but she doesn't notice. "What do you mean you 'used to go out'? I–I thought you . . . I . . ." She trails off, unable to finish the sentence, and Kagami sighs again.

"He didn't tell you?"

Marinette shakes her head even though Kagami can't see her. "N–No."

"Oh my God, that boy is an idiot," Kagami mutters. "He was supposed to tell you. Please tell me he hasn't been avoiding you?"

"Um, I mean, no?" Marinette scratches her head. _Has he been avoiding me?_

"That's good at least. I thought he would've said something to you by now. Wasn't that why you were waiting for him yesterday?"

Marinette's throat goes dry and she swallows anxiously, jiggling her legs up and down as her anxiety levels begin to rise. "He wanted to see how I was going, because Li–because it had been a, a weird few weeks." She doesn't want to tell Kagami about Lila; if she does she's worried about what the fencer will do to her.

"Oh," Kagami's quiet for a moment and Marinette uses the time to mouth to Adrien 'are you okay?', which he responds to with a thumbs up and a forced smile, so she makes a mental note to question him about that later. "How has it been weird? If you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't." She runs her free hand up and down her thigh, creating friction on her pyjama pants to warm her hand – and have something to focus on. "There's just . . . there's a lot going on. Nothing you need to worry about. I'm sorry you and Adrien broke up." She frowns, concerned, but not sure if she should say any more.

"Yeah," Kagami's voice goes quiet, before it returns to normal. "But it's fine. We're too alike, and we're better as friends. It probably wouldn't have lasted much longer if it wasn't for our parents forcing us together."

"Hmm."

"You and Adrien, however," Marinette feels her cheeks flush at Kagami's excited tone. She doesn't think she's ever really heard that tone of voice with her before. "Are perfect for each other. You balance each other out, and your blood types are very compatible."

"Um . . . thank you?" Adrien shifts beside her and she leans more firmly against him when he puts his arm around her again.

"You're welcome. I talked to him yesterday to ensure it's not weird between us at fencing – which we both agree it won't be – and I told him that he should ask you out soon. I suggested he take you for ice cream, since you never got to eat some with him the last time we went, but I think it's still a little too cold for that." Marinette hums noncommittedly again, and this time Kagami notices. "Are you sure you're okay? You've been pretty quiet."

"I'm fine, Kagami."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Definitely." She bites her lip.

"Okay. If you're sure."

She can hear the concern in Kagami's voice, but she swallows and forces herself to say 'yes', because saying 'yes' is a hell of a lot easier than saying 'no.' "I'm sure. Thank you for checking up on me. Hopefully we can catch up again soon." She feels bad for ending the conversation so soon, but any longer and she's afraid she may start to cry, and she's sick of crying.

"Hopefully. Bye Marinette."

"Bye." She hangs up the phone quickly and puts it back on her desk, before dropping her face into her hands and letting out the groan she has been suppressing since she answered the phone.

Why can't she just be normal? Why can't she just pretend that everything is okay and that her world isn't crumbling? Why does the fact that Adrien broke up with Kagami and apparently has a crush on her suddenly not make her feel as happy as she should be? If Alya was here she'd be jumping for joy, saying this is what she'd been waiting for. She'd be happy, but Marinette isn't happy. She's tired, and she's stressed and she just wants to curl up into a ball and not exist, because not existing would be much easier than existing in the life everyone's expecting her to be perfect in.

"Princess?" Adrien rubs her back soothingly, somehow knowing that she's begun to cry before she does. "It's okay. I'm here." He continues to rub her back, and she sits up and buries her face in his neck, winding her arms around him and cuddling close, clinging to him like he's a life raft and they're drowning in the English Channel. "What can I do?" He murmurs into her hair, pressing a light kiss against her temple on impulse.

Marinette sniffs and huddles closer to him, squeezing her eyes shut against the demons chasing her. "Just hold me. Please."


	32. Fridge Magnets

**Chapter Thirty Two – Fridge Magnents**

Marinette ignores the look Alya's giving her. She knows the Ladyblogger isn't happy that Marinette's been avoiding her, but she doesn't want to deal with her right now. She can't handle Alya in interrogation mode, and she's too tired to try and decipher the meaning behind her questions directed towards Luka's genitals (not that she even has anything to say regarding Luka in general, though, since they haven't spoken since the night of the party when she told him that she couldn't have a relationship with him because he deserves someone who can give him their whole heart. He understood, thankfully, but it doesn't mean it didn't hurt him any less, and she doesn't want to risk upsetting him even more by her classmates thinking they slept together).

She loves Alya, she really does, but sometimes she's just exhausting and Marinette needs a break.

"I want you to split into pairs of two, with one pair of three, and choose a text to study and write a report on, which you will present to the class on Monday. You will have the rest of the day to work either in the school library or together at home, and I trust that you will continue to work together over the weekend to complete the task so it's ready to present." Ms Bustier smiles at the class, returning to the front after handing each student the assignment sheet with the marking criteria on the back. "You may pair up now and go to your chosen place of study once you have told me who you're working with and what text you have chosen."

The class fills with chatter and the sound of books and pencil cases being put away as everyone starts turning to their friends and packing up in preparation for going to the library. Alix and Max are the first to leave, followed by Ivan and Mylène and Chloé and Sabrina, and then Rose and Juleka, who are joined by a sheepish looking Lila. Marinette isn't surprised that Lila's working in the same pairing as Rose since she's the only one who has already forgiven her for lying to them because she's Rose and that's just what Rose does. Plus, Lila was never really mean to her, so she has no reason to feel betrayed to the point of resentment.

"So, Mari," Alya starts, turning to her. The mischievous look in her eyes lets Marinette know she's plotting something, and Marinette's positive she doesn't want anything to do with it. "Now that we have the whole day together, you can finally tell me why you were so _happy_ the other day." She wriggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"U–Uh–"

"_Doyouwannaworkwithme_?"

Marinette blinks in surprise and turns to stare at the blond boy sitting in front of her, trying to decipher the sentence that leaped out of his mouth faster than a frog on steroids.

Nino raises an eyebrow at his friend, before turning to his girlfriend and taking her hand. "_Hamlet_?" He asks, tilting his head in question. She purses her lips, eyes wondering back to Marinette, before nodding almost reluctantly and standing up. "See ya, dude, Mar–Bear." He nods at his two friends, but they're both still staring at each other so don't notice.

"What's gotten into them?" Alya asks as they walk towards Ms Bustier. Nino can only shrug.

"Do you want to work with me?" Adrien repeats, slower, and he feels his cheeks flush darky as she studies him.

He scratches the back of his neck and shifts his gaze down to her desk as if it's the most interesting piece of wood he's ever seen. _Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes_, he chants in his head, praying that they get to work together. They don't get too many out of class partner assignments, and usually when they do they don't get to pick their partners and he never gets to work with Marinette and it is _so unfair_.

"Okay."

Adrien's eyes flick up to hers and he beams, resisting the urge to pull her into a hug as his excitement bubbles over. "Really?" She nods, giving him a rare genuine smile and he feels like his heart is about to burst out of his chest with the force of its beats.

"And what text are you studying?" Ms Bustier asks, appearing beside Adrien's desk with her tablet, finger poised at the ready to add their chosen text beside their names.

"Um . . ." Adrien glances at the prescribed text list. He kneels on his seat and leans over Marinette's desk to read off of her sheet so he knows where she's looking. Her finger hovers beside _the Tempest_ and Adrien meets her gaze, giving her a soft smile to let her know he agrees. "_The Tempest_." He tells Ms Bustier, who nods approvingly.

"Good choice," She smiles at them before returning to her desk.

Marinette puts her things in her backpack and stands up, wobbling a little on her feet at the sudden change of momentum. She squeezes her eyes closed as her vision blurs and presses her palm into her desk to steady herself. When she opens her eyes Adrien's still putting his things away and doesn't appear to have noticed her dizzy spell, thankfully.

"Ready to go?" She asks, stepping down the steps onto the main floor.

He beams at her and slings his bag over his shoulder, getting up quickly to join her. He reaches to grab her hand, before coming back to himself and putting it in his pocket so he no longer has the temptation to do so. Hopefully he can use their time together to tell her that he and Kagami have broken up. He knows she already knows, but she hasn't mentioned anything and he still doesn't quite understand why she got so upset yesterday.

Plagg said it probably wasn't because she was upset for him and Kagami, more so that her feelings just bubbled over and she could do nothing but let them out, which Adrien certainly has plenty of experience with. His way of letting them out, however, include going for a run over the rooftops in a cat sit rather than crying himself to sleep like Marinette almost did, if he hadn't managed to calm her enough and tuck her into bed. He'd wanted to stay the night with her again, but he knew there was a risk that Nathalie or even his father (a smaller risk, really) would venture into his room and discover he wasn't there, so he waited until she fell asleep before heading home. Not that he was able to sleep himself, though, because he was too caught up in his head on how to help her and what he could do.

He and Marinette were the last to leave the classroom so they're not surprised to see majority of the class sitting at the tables in the library. Nino waves at them, having seen them enter, and they return his wave before moving to a free table a little away from everyone else's. Marinette knows there shouldn't be any reason for her to distance herself form her classmates still, but after all of these months it's almost second nature. She just feels bad that Adrien's being isolated with her. When he asked to be her partner he didn't sign up for this.

"Sorry." She tells him, and he stops what he's doing immediately and looks at her in confusion, tilting his head.

"Pardon?"

"I'm sorry we're not sitting with the others." She shifts uncomfortably and fiddles with her sleeve.

Today she's gotten a bit more daring – mostly due to her jeans being in the wash – and is wearing a navy–blue bowknot waist swing dress with long sleeves and black tights. It's not typically what she would wear to school (even when she was always wearing her designs to school, back when she still designed) but after crying for most of the night she wanted to feel a little more alive, a little more like her old self. Plus, she made this dress a while ago and has never worn it. She figured she may as well while the weather is suitable.

Adrien frowns at her in concern and reaches across the table, putting his hand over hers almost on impulse. "Don't be sorry. It's their own fault for not believing you." Her skin is soft against his fingers, but he can't help but notice that it's also quite cold, despite the library being pretty toasty. "Plus this way we won't be interrupted as much, and I'll get you all to myself."

His eyes widen at his statement in surprise, having only intended to say the first part of the sentence, and he looks at Marinette in horror, fearing she'll be repulsed from the seemingly possessive remark he accidentally made. If he was Cat Noir he'd just smile and play it off like it was a joke. But he's not Cat Noir. He's Adrien. And Adrien doesn't have the confidence to do that.

"I–I mean . . ."

Marinette blinks at him in surprise, and perhaps it's lack of sleep or the fact that Adrien's wearing a black jacket today and it's reminding her of Cat's suit, but she finds herself rolling her eyes and smirking lightly. "Let's just do our work, Casanova. We decided on _Tempest_, right?"

Adrien nods quickly, thankful that she seems to have decided to not comment on his overall weirdness, and reluctantly removes his hand from hers to finish taking his things out of his bag. They use their tablets to access the libraries search engine and look up their sources, then Adrien goes to get the books they need while Marinette brainstorms ideas for the presentation (they can make a PowerPoint, a video, or a poster, and they both agreed a PowerPoint would be the best option, especially since neither feel like hunting down cardboard to make a poster, and a video requires them having to edit it on top of doing their research and coming up with a speech to present).

"I think Alya and Nino are going with a video." Adrien says, plopping down in the seat beside Marinette. He tells himself it's so they can work easier and not because he wants to be closer to her, but even he knows he's kidding himself. "I overheard them arguing over whose camera to use."

Marinette snorts slightly and glances up at him before returning her eyes to the mind map she has created to finish off the word she is writing. "I hope they go with Nino's. He has software on his computer that he uses to edit his films, and it takes a while to sync up a new device to it."

Adrien hums and reads over what she's written on the mind map while she inspects the books to make sure they have everything they need. "This looks really good." Adrien says, grinning at her.

Her eyes meet his and she smiles. "Thanks."

There's a piece of hair falling in her face and he reaches up and tucks it behind her ear, letting his fingers linger against the soft skin of her cheek. Her breath catches in her throat and her lips part in surprise, and his eyes immediately move down to them at the movement.

She's mesmerising and he can't look away. The blue of her dress makes her eyes stand out and he doesn't think he's ever seen them so blue. He's sure he's never seen eyes this blue before, and he's positive he never will. Marinette's eyes are one of a kind. They're the bluest of blues and he wants to drown in the colour except he doesn't because if he drowns he'll be dead which means he won't get to see her ever again (because he'll be dead) and then he'll never be happy because he doesn't have his princess and–

The bell goes and he jumps, almost falling out of his seat in his haste to lean away from Marinette. He didn't even notice that he was leaning in closer and if he'd just moved another centimetre closer they would've been kissing and he wants to kiss her and he knows that once he starts he won't be able to stop so that would be a bad idea because they're in school, in the library, surrounded by their classmates and he hasn't even told her he loves her and he has to go home for lunch and they need to finish the project and–

"I–I'll see you after lunch." Marinette grabs her things quickly and rushes away, cheeks burning, and all he can do is watch.

_Oh shit, oh fuck, oh fridge magnets_. He drops his head into his hands and groans. There's no way she didn't notice how close they were and that they were a centimetre away from kissing and he can only hope he hasn't fucked everything up and scared her away with his lack of self–control. He feels an insistent poking in his side and looks down to see Plagg has wondered out of his jacket pocket and is sitting on his thigh, giving him an unimpressed look.

"Are you going to go after her or are you going to be a coward and hide in the library and let your relationship crumble?" He raises an eyebrow at Adrien's impression of a fish, before rolling his eyes. "Kit, stop freaking out and go after her. You love her and I'm sick and tired of watching you two go around in circles. If you don't fix this then screw your identity, I'm going to sit the two of you down and slap some sense into you!" He finishes his little rant with a huff and crosses him arms, staring at his holder in a way that dares him to argue with him.

Plagg doesn't do relationships or lovey–dovey stuff or plans, but he does do threats and ultimatums. He just hopes that Adrien doesn't see that he's bluffing, because there is _no way_ he's going to risk getting a first–hand experience of the wrath of Tikki if he blows the cover on their identities before they're ready. Even if it would make his kitten and the princess happy in the end, no amount of love will cancel out releasing _that_ nightmare.


	33. Harder, but Funner

**Chapter Thirty Three – Harder, but Funner**

Marinette walks as quickly as she can down the stairs without tripping, dodging a few classmates along the way. She grips her bag straps tightly in one hand and holds onto the railing with the other so she doesn't fall. _Oh God, oh God, oh God, what just happened?_ One minute she and Adrien were working perfectly fine beside each other and the next he was about to kiss her. And she didn't stop it! Why didn't she stop it? She should've stopped him.

Kagami will never forgive her and she'll lose another friend and she doesn't want to hurt Kagami and she doesn't want to hurt Adrien but she can't be with Adrien and she's falling in love with Cat but she can't fall in love with Cat because then he'll learn her identity, get akumatised and turn into Cat Blanc and destroy the universe and she _can't_. She can't, she can't, she can't!

She can still feel his fingers grazing her cheek and remembers the way his eyes shined as he stared at her. She knows that look. She used to look at him with that look. It should make her happy. This is what she should want. She should want Adrien to want to kiss her but she doesn't want him to kiss her because she's not completely devoted to him and she's not sure if she wants him or Cat more and it doesn't really matter because she can't have either of them. Ever. And even if she could her life is a mess and she's a mess and her brain is full of crazy and Kagami would never forgive her even if she says she does because _who does that_ to their friend? Who goes out with their friend's ex who apparently has liked them for as long as they were in a relationship with that friend and seemingly broke up with that friend so they could date you? Just, who does that? When did that become a thing?

It's like at Lila's party when she realised that her friends were no longer little kids and drank alcohol and made out with people and she never realised that growing up would be like this. She thought they'd grow up at the same pace and that they wouldn't even be thinking about sex until they were in uni but it seems like everyone's thinking that and they're thinking it about her and she can't handle it. She can't even imagine making out with someone, let along . . . _that_. Yet her classmates are looking at her like she has a sign over her head shouting 'I had sex' even though she didn't and she feels dirty and what does Adrien think of her because he hasn't said anything to her about the pregnancy rumour which is good because she shouldn't have to say anything and bad because he might be thinking the same as the rest of their classmates and if he is she won't be able to handle that and–

"Mari! Wait up!"

Marinette stumbles over her feet at the familiar voice and grips the railing beside her so she doesn't take a tumble down the remaining stairs. She's so close to getting home. Just another three steps and she would've been in the courtyard. But she can't avoid Adrien, that's not nice and he doesn't deserve that. Plus, she's starting to get dizzy again and she's not sure if it's because she hasn't eaten since dinner or because she's tired or maybe she just needs a glass of water?

"Adrien?" She asks once he's in front of her, breathing heavy and cheeks flushed with exertion, as if he ran all the way here. "Did you run from the library?"

He nods, still catching his breath. "Yeah." He swallows and his dry throat makes him cough a little, so he has to turn his head away and cover his mouth with his elbow to stop spreading germs, even though when you cough into your elbow you tend to look like kind of an idiot and he doesn't want to look like an idiot in front of Marinette because he's pretty sure he's done enough of that already. "I wanted to catch you before you went home."

"Okay." She shifts her weight nervously and tightens her grip on her bag straps, eyes darting around the space surrounding them so she doesn't have to look him in the eye and remember the love he saw in their only moments ago. "Is it about the project?"

"No. Well, yes, but no. But also yes." Adrien drops his face into his hands, missing the silent giggle Marinette lets out. "Would you like to come over for lunch and to work on the assignment?"

Marinette blinks at him. "For lunch?"

"Yes."

"At your house?"

"Yes."

"With you?"

Adrien nods, smiling. "Well, it would be weird if I wasn't there, don't you think?"

Marinette nods slightly and turns to continue down the stairs since she realised that they're blocking them. "Yeah, it probably would be."

Adrien follows her and falls into step beside her. "So, is that a yes?" He looks at her hopefully.

Marinette purses her lips, looking across the street at her house. She jiggles her leg nervously and looks back at Adrien. He looks so hopeful, so happy, and she doesn't want to make him sad. She knows he hates eating alone, and even if she isn't hungry she can at least humour him. He probably just wants to continue working on the project because he knows he won't have much time to do so over the weekend and he doesn't want her to do everything.

She meets Adrien's eye and forces a smile, the voice in her head telling her that spending more one–on–one time with Adrien is betraying Kagami, and she's a terrible friend for it. "It's a yes."

. . .

"So this is what you usually have for lunch?" Marinette asks, twirling her spaghetti around her fork absentmindedly as she studies Adrien.

They're sitting across from each other, plates of creamy French onion spaghetti half eaten in front of them. Nathalie's sitting at the opposite end of the table, where Gabriel would sit if he was here, but isn't paying them any attention, and is instead answering emails.

"I always imagined you being force fed salad."

Adrien snorts. "No, I eat my salads willingly." He eats another forkful before continuing. "I usually have my main meal for lunchtime on a school day, because that way I'm not eating a big meal for dinner, which can slow down your metabolism. Or something." He shrugs and sips his water. "I wasn't really listening when my nutritionist explained it. I was just trying to figure out if I could still have birthday cake."

Marinette's eyes widen, missing the joking tone in Adrien's voice. "You had to see a nutritionist on your _birthday_?"

He laughs slightly and shakes his head. "No, no. It was a joke. Kinda." He scratches the back of his neck. "I was worried they would make me give up all things containing sugar, but thankfully I'm fine so long as I only eat it in moderation."

Marinette hums and puts her fork down in favour of picking up her glass of water. She sips it methodically, studying him over her glass. He smiles when he notices her eyes on him before looking down at her meal.

"Do you like it?" He asks, noticing that she's barely eaten half of it, while he's almost finished.

Marinette's eyes widen in surprise and she puts her glass down quickly before she drops it. "Oh, yes, it's delicious. I'm just not very hungry." She forces another smile, hoping he doesn't question her.

Adrien frowns slightly, not quite believing her, but he doesn't really want to call her out. Plus their conversation has attracted the attention of Nathalie and he can feel her studying the two of them from the head of the table. "Did you eat a big breakfast?"

There's a moments pause, and then she nods. He decides not to push her by asking what she had. He's trying to make her feel at ease, not uncomfortable, and he's positive if he continues down this line of questioning that is what she'll become.

They continue the rest of the meal in moderate silence, only making general small talk, and as soon as Adrien's finished, Marinette places her own cutlery in the middle of her plate, signalling that she, too, is finished.

"I'll take your plates to the kitchen." Nathalie says, having noticed they had finished.

"Oh, that's okay. I can take my plate." Marinette says, smiling at Nathalie kindly. She gets up from her chair and prepares to grab her plate, before Nathalie stops her.

"It's alright. I'm sure you and Adrien have plenty of work to get done before you return to school." She takes the plate from Marinette and sits it on top of Adrien's, before picking both plates up and sitting their glasses on top.

Adrien swears in another life Nathalie was a waitress, and a damn good one at that (at least not in the charisma part, since Nathalie is mostly stone–faced, although that could just be a side effect of being Gabriel Agreste's assistant).

"I'll check you're still on task periodically, and if you need any help just come to me." She tells them, before nodding once and exiting the dining room.

Marinette bites her lip nervously and awkwardly clutches the back of her chair, eyes flicking around the room. There aren't a lot of decorations – it's mostly just windows and expensive curtains – so there isn't a whole lot to look at and eventually her eyes return to Adrien. She ducks her head and flushes slightly when she discovers his gaze on her.

Adrien clears his throat awkwardly and walks around the table to stand in front of her. "We can work in my room. It'll be more comfortable."

Marinette nods and smooths down the front of her dress, more so for something to do rather than to smooth out any wrinkles. Adrien's eyes follow her movement and he has to swallow and glance away quickly when he discovers how the dress accentuates her small waist. He hadn't noticed up until this point, having been otherwise preoccupied with the fact that she's left her hair out and has even curled it softly, and then being mesmerised by her eyes. He's kind of glad he didn't notice earlier though, because that would've been a whole new level of awkward. Far more awkward than almost kissing her is.

Not wanting to dwell on how good she looks in her dress any more, for his own safety, he leads her over to where they left their schoolbags and the borrowed library books. Rather than taking everything with them, they take the library books and the assignment sheet. Any writing they have to do can be done with the pens in his room, and they can use his computer for further research that the books don't provide, although they're both determined to try and do the assignment without Google, that way there is less of a chance of having the exact same presentation as another pair doing _the Tempest_, and plus it'll be more fun. Harder, but funner.

"Have you ever seen _the Tempest_?" Adrien asks as they start up the stairs. Even though there's a rather large possibility that he'll trip and drop the books and assignment sheet he insisted on carrying, he keeps his eyes on her, once again mesmerised by the very essence of her. He's starting to understand why his photographer likes to take profile pictures; she's beautiful even sideways.

"No, but I have read _Hag–seed_, which is a modern retelling of _the Tempest_. Have you seen it?" She lifts her gaze from the floor to meet his and smiles softly. He shakes his head and starts to reply when he's interrupted.

"Adrien?" They both stop on the first landing and look up the stairs to the left, towards Gabriel's office. Gabriel stands at the top of the stairs, hands behind his back, and gazes down at his son and a girl who continues to be an enigma to him with mild curiosity. "I wasn't aware you were bringing company home?"


	34. Tempest

**Chapter Thirty Four – Tempest**

Adrien shifts his weight from foot to foot anxiously and bites his lip, clutching the books in his arms to his chest tightly as if they're a shield. He doesn't usually show his anxiety when he's interacting with his father, but something about having Marinette with him tends to make him feel more open.

Marinette, for her part, is standing stock–still, her gaze somewhere between the floor and Gabriel, her hands clasped together in front of her almost respectfully. The only sign of her anxiety under Gabriel's intense gaze is the slight quiver of her lip. When he looks down at her hands he sees that they're also shaking slightly, only noticeable because he's standing right next to her, and without really thinking about it he shifts the books to one arm and puts the other hand on the small of her back. She jumps slightly at the contact and her eyes flick to his, and he gives her a soft, reassuring smile that has her relaxing somewhat under his touch.

"Adrien?" Gabriel asks, reminding him that he asked him a question. Surprisingly he doesn't feel as annoyed as he normally would if he was being ignored.

He recognises the look on his son's face. It's the same look he wore so often over the years with Emilie. He also remembers what it was like to be young and in love, and it makes him pause, take it in. Not for the first time he realises that his son is less of a child and more of a man. In a few more years he'll be going to university and (hopefully) start thinking seriously about taking over the company when Gabriel retires. He's already begun looking into changing the company name from _Gabriel_ to _Agreste_, that way it's more inclusive to whoever Adrien decides to spend the rest of his life with. He only hopes that they won't use him for his fame and money and will have some fashion or designer sense.

Miss Tsurugi is a fine choice for the moment; the business agreement he has with Ms Tsurugi has allowed the children to navigate towards each other, and he still believes that putting the two of them together has not only made their business ties stronger quicker, but also kept the two of them out of trouble with the media. It wouldn't be good for the Agreste name if Adrien was continually being photographed with different girls; it's better for there to just be the one so the press has less to talk about. Besides, at fifteen it is normal to be in some kind of a romantic relationship, and with the extra paparazzi following his son nowadays, sales have increased and he hopes in time Adrien will stop receiving crude letters from fans that Gabriel has Nathalie put on file and hide away to protect his son's innocence and ensure there is evidence if, heaven forbid, something tragic happens.

Miss Dupain–Cheng, on the other hand, has always alluded him. Not only has he been unable to akumatise her on several occasions, she is also a fan of both his work and his son. She is also the person Adrien talks most about – according to Nathalie, at least – and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that he has a crush on the girl. Gabriel's almost confused as to why the two of them have never dated, but he puts it down to his son's obliviousness and naïveté in relation to his peers. Emilie did always say that they couldn't home school Adrien for forever, and eventually he would need to mix with some more children his age who weren't Miss Bourgeois in order for him to be successful in life regarding social cues and future relationships.

Miss Dupain–Cheng is the kind of girl he would eventually like his son to end up with; fashion sense, love of design, level–headed, not to mention attractive to the point of being photogenic. He's sure the press would have a field day with the two of them. Perhaps he should mention to Nathalie that Adrien should bring her over more often? His business deal with Ms Tsurugi is almost set in stone for the next few years, so there's no need for the children to spend as much time together, and if Adrien continues to have no interest in the company or running it (he already knows the boy's fashion sense is almost non–existent, and don't even get him started on his drawing skills), then perhaps Miss Dupain–Cheng would be an acceptable choice. If she could only gain some self–confidence, that is.

"Um," Adrien says, pulling Gabriel out of his thoughts. "We're working on a literature assignment together. On _the Tempest_. It's due on Monday." Adrien glances at the girl beside him again and Gabriel raises an eyebrow at the look they share before Adrien looks back at him with a confidence he doesn't see too often. "I invited Marinette over for lunch and we are now going to my room to work on the assignment there. We've been given the rest of the school day off to work on it. Nathalie will be checking up on us periodically."

Gabriel feels Adrien could almost add an 'and I'll keep the door open so you know we won't do anything inappropriate', but with how big the house is they could invite an entire marching band over and Gabriel wouldn't be able to hear anything from his office. He's glad Nathalie thought to mention that she'll be hanging around; he probably would've indirectly told them to do whatever they wanted without noticing if it were up to him.

"Good." He nods once but doesn't move to return to his office. The children don't move either, seemingly waiting for permission before doing so, and Miss Dupain–Cheng smooths down the front of her dress in a nervous–tick sort of way. Immediately Gabriel's head fills with ideas and he finds himself moving down the stairs towards them without realising. "Miss Dupain–Cheng," He starts, coming to a stop on the landing in front of them. There's enough room between them that he could almost imagine that they're in his office and standing on either side of his desk, conducting an interview. "Did you make your dress?"

Marinette blinks in surprise and looks down at herself as if to check he means the dress she's wearing and not some other dress that's hovering beside her by magic. "Um, yes, I did, Mr Agreste." She swallows nervously and meets his eye for a moment before focusing her gaze just over his shoulder. There's something about his eyes that always causes a shiver to go down her spine and her to immediately feel ten degrees colder.

Adrien glances between the two of them curiously, but Gabriel ignores it.

"Do you make most of your clothes?" He questions now.

He resists the urge to circle the girl to see the dress from all angles. He reminds himself that she is a child and not one of his models; not only would that make her uncomfortable, she probably wouldn't know to keep standing still and instead try to turn around with him. He also tries not to study the dress too intensely, as that could also be misleading and lead to even more discomfort.

"S–Some of them." She clutches the fabric of the skirt in her fist anxiously before releasing it, leaving the fabric slightly wrinkled.

Gabriel's eyes flick to Adrien's, his look telling him to take her hand as she clearly needs some kind of support to hold onto and he'd make a fine one, but Adrien just looks at him blankly before returning his gaze to Marinette, shifting the hand on the small of her back slightly.

"I don't have the time or the fabric to make all of my clothes." She finishes, meeting his gaze again before glancing away.

Gabriel hums in acknowledgment. "But you made your dress?" He reiterates and she nods. "Do you have the original design for it still?"

She nods again. "It's in my sketch book, which is at home."

"I thought you took that with you everywhere?" Adrien asks before Gabriel can ask for her to bring it in to show him. Adrien tilts his head at Marinette and his hand shifts further around her to the curve of her waist, drawing her closer to him.

Marinette's eyes flick back to Gabriel's, nervous to be standing so close to Adrien with his arm around her while standing in front of his father, before focusing back on Adrien, trying to convey to him that perhaps he should let her go in case his father gets mad at him. Or her.

"Not so much recently." Her voice comes out quiet and Gabriel steps forward to hear her better.

"Why not?" Adrien asks and Marinette swallows nervously, before shrugging. He frowns in concern and flicks his eyes to his father. They widen in surprise when he realises how close he is to them, and he almost takes an instinctive step back.

"Your assignment is due on Monday?" Gabriel asks, not taking his eyes from Marinette's. She nods while Adrien replies with a quiet, 'Yes'. "And you will be working on it over the weekend?"

Marinette's eyes flick to Adrien's in a silent question and he smiles, tightening his arm around her in what he hopes is a supportive way. "Yes, Father."

Gabriel raises an eyebrow at the interaction between the two, as well as the obvious release of tension in the girl as she relaxes into Adrien's hold, who in turn has begun stroking his thumb up and down against the fabric on her waist absentmindedly.

"Excellent. Bring your sketchbook with you. I would like to look over your designs. Please." He adds as an afterthought, reminding himself again that she's just a child and probably wouldn't respond well to him demanding she do something.

Marinette looks at Gabriel with wide eyes, the words 'I don't really design anymore' on the tip of her tongue, but she lets them dissolve, and instead simply nods. She finds it strange that he wants to see her sketchbook, but perhaps he's doing it as a favour to Adrien. Maybe he asked his father to look at her designs in the hope it may make her feel better? That thought leaves her head, however, when she looks back at Adrien and takes in his bewildered expression.

"Good." He regards the two of them before nodding once and turning around, making his way back up the stairs. "I will send Adrien's driver to pick you up at ten o'clock."

She starts to protest, saying she can walk here just fine, but he disappears into his office before she can form a proper sentence. She looks back at Adrien to see him mouthing 'what the fuck?' and she giggles slightly, making him jump in surprise and look back at her.

He grins sheepishly and scratches the back of his neck. "So? _Tempest_?"


	35. Horrible

**Chapter Thirty Five – Horrible**

True to her word, Nathalie checks on them every ten minutes or so throughout the two or so hours that Adrien and Marinette work pretty much nonstop on the assignment, just reading through the books and writing down the important parts. Now that they know Marinette is coming over the next day, they have come up with a plan.

Today they will gather as much information as they can and organise it under the topics they wish to discuss in their presentation. If they have time they will make a start on the PowerPoint, otherwise that will be left until tomorrow.

Adrien has already said that Marinette should be the one to make the PowerPoint look aesthetically pleasing because she has a designer's eyes, and if she leaves it up to him it will no doubt have an image of a cat saying a pun on every slide. In return he will say majority of the presentation because he knows that public speaking makes Marinette more nervous than it does to him (after all, he's basically grown up doing so in the shadow of his parents).

Tomorrow they will finish the PowerPoint and write the speech, then on Sunday if they can't meet up they will work via emails, proofreading and making sure they haven't left anything out, and also learning the speech (or at least becoming familiar with it, because there's no way they'll be able to actually memorise it before Monday) so they are ready to present.

After two hours of nonstop reading, writing and not talking about anything other than techniques and scenes from the play, Adrien is more than ready for a break. He leans back on his hands and looks across at Marinette, who is laying on her stomach facing him with her legs crossed at the ankles and hovering in the air behind her. As if sensing his eyes on her, she glances up from the book she's reading and meets his gaze, smiling.

"Time for a break?" He questions.

Rather than getting up, he swings his body around and lays down on his own stomach, facing her, and kicks his legs into the air behind him. He props himself up onto his elbows and rests his chin on his hands, gazing at her fondly. There's still a bit of a distance between them – mostly for Nathalie's sake when she comes to check on them again in a few minutes – but they're close enough that he can count the freckles dotted across her nose.

"Any more reading and my brain will turn to mush."

She giggles and lets her feet rest back on the ground, uncrossing her ankles but keeping her thighs together. There's no one behind her, but she is still wearing a dress (even if she does have tights on underneath). "We wouldn't want that," She says almost sarcastically and he wrinkles his nose at her playfully, making her giggle again. "What time is it?"

"About three." He guesses, not wanting to actually get up and check.

He crosses his arms and lays his head down on them, but keeps his gaze on her. After a moment she does the same, and once again kicks her feet into the air behind her. They're quiet for a moment and Adrien sighs, before making his mind up and meeting Marinette's gaze. She looks at him expectantly, guessing he wants to say something.

"Can I tell you something?"

She nods and smiles kindly, tapping her fingers against her arm absentmindedly. "Of course."

Adrien smiles, grateful, before swallowing nervously and rubbing his lips together. "You remember Lila's party? At Juleka's house?" She nods. "Well, um, you see, I–" He clears his throat and starts again. "The next day Kagami came over, and, I, uh . . ." He squeezes his eyes closed and takes a calming breath, before opening them again. "We, uh, we, well, I, I mean it was both of us, but mostly me, and I . . . decision, uh, happened and I, um, we, and then, ah, well, you see . . ." He groans and drops his head onto his folded arms. "Why can't I do this?" He mutters, voice muffled by his arms, but Marinette still hears him.

Propping herself up on her elbows once again, she puts a hand on his forearm and squeezes lightly in support, and he lifts his head to look at her, pushing himself up on his elbows so they're eye to eye.

"I think I know what you're saying," She says gently, and Adrien resists the urge to nod because he's not supposed to know that she knows because he was supposed to be Cat at that time not Adrien so Adrien shouldn't know that she knows even though he does know she knows. "Kagami called me last night," She pauses again, anticipating his reaction, but he just nods for her to continue, biting his lip. "And she told me that the two of you . . ." She trails off and presses her lips together, shrugging in a 'you know' kind of way.

"Yeah, we did." He clears his throat again and looks down at her hand on his forearm. The pressure of it is soothing even if he can't feel her skin through his jacket, but he can feel how cold her fingers are. _Perhaps I should buy her some gloves?_

"Are you okay?"

Noticing him looking at her hand on him, she starts to move it away when he grabs it and holds it gently in his own. She doesn't pull away from him, both because of the shock and because he seems to need the comfort right now.

"I'm okay." He glances up at Marinette and his cheeks flush slightly under her gaze. He tightens his grip on her hand and her fingers curl around his palm so their palms are flush. He strokes the soft (cold) skin on the back of her hand with his thumb. "We talked it out a few days ago to make sure it wouldn't be weird between us at fencing and when we have to get together for our parents, and honestly, we, uh, we're better off as friends." He uses his free hand to scratch the back of his neck, which is a little awkward since he's using his elbows to prop himself up.

This is the part that's making him so nervous.

This is the I'm in love with you and would really like us to go out and I've been secretly visiting you as Cat Noir but I don't know if I should say that to you but I really want to because otherwise it will feel like I'm constantly lying to you and you've had enough people lying to you and I am _so_ _in_ _love_ with you and Kagami will kill me if I hurt you and I've spent the entire day trying not to kiss you which is really difficult because you look so beautiful and I just want to lean forward and kiss you right now but I don't know if you like me the exact same way I do even though Nino and Kagami have both said you do part.

The part where he wants to tell her how he feels and hope that he doesn't scare her away and pray that she says yes or at least doesn't say no.

Before he can say anything, Nathalie gives a brief knock on the open door and enters. She blinks at them in surprise when she sees that they're both lying on the floor holding hands, but she otherwise doesn't show any sign that she's noticed. Her gaze flicks over the work that has been pushed to the side and she crouches to read over the notes they've taken.

"How's it going?" She asks, gaze shifting between Adrien and Marinette.

Oblivious to his anguish, Marinette pulls her hand from Adrien's grasp and sits back up to give Nathalie her undivided attention. She talks her through the information they have collected and their plan for the following days before Monday, while all Adrien can do is stare at her with what Nathalie can only describe as devotion in his eyes. She asks them some questions (all of which Marinette answers when Adrien fails to talk coherently) and offers some pointers, having done her own fair share of presentations back in the day.

"It seems the two of you have everything under control." A rare smile graces Nathalie's lips and Adrien has to do a doubletake. "I'll leave you to it, but if you need any help just sing out. You know I'm not completely useless." She winks at Adrien, which just makes him even more confused. _What is happening?_ At Marinette's questioning glance, Nathalie turns to her to explain. "When Adrien was home schooled I was his main tutor most of the time, except for when his actual tutors came to teach him things that I couldn't, such as his piano and Chinese and fencing and physics." She makes a face and Adrien laughs.

"I'm the only one I know besides Max who likes physics." Adrien says, pushing off the ground and sitting back on his heels. He puts his hands on his knees.

Marinette smirks at him lightly. "You are a strange specimen." She agrees, making him giggle. She looks back at Nathalie and bites her lip nervously, as if contemplating something, before meeting her eye warily. "Is it difficult to be home schooled?" Her gaze flicks between Nathalie and Adrien, the latter of which feels a cold sensation wash over him for reasons he can't tell her because he isn't supposed to know. _Is she still thinking about that?_

"A lot of it's about self–discipline." Nathalie says, moving from her crouched position to sit on the floor with her legs crossed. "You need to be able to give yourself set times to sit down and do the work, and you need to stick to it." Her eyes flick to Adrien and she gazes at him fondly. "It is easier if you give yourself a schedule to work from, that way you know how much time you have to do your school work, and how much time you have left over for other activities."

"It's pretty lonely." Adrien says quietly, and Marinette meets his eye, frowning in concern. She reaches across the floor between them and puts her hand over his, squeezing in support before pulling away. Even that small moment of comfort is enough for the dark cloud that surrounds him whenever he starts thinking those kinds of thoughts to dissipate. He swallows nervously and scratches the back of his neck. "Why do you ask?" Nathalie looks at Marinette expectantly too, and she shifts uncomfortably, wringing her hands together in her lap.

Marinette shrugs slightly and glances up at the two people gazing at her momentarily before looking back at her hands. Her nail polish has started to come off because she's been biting her finger nails a lot, but she can't bring herself to really care. "My parents and I have been thinking about it." She says quietly, making sure to keep her voice even and not muffled so they can understand her.

"About home schooling?" Nathalie clarifies, and she nods. "Why?"

As far as Nathalie knows Françoise Dupont is a very well recommended school and one of the best educational facilities in the region. Afterall, Gabriel allowed Adrien to go there after forcing him to stay at home and be home schooled for all of the previous years of his education. And all it took was the risk of losing his son and a lot of persuasion on her part for it to happen.

Marinette shrugs slightly and chews on her lip, keeping her gaze on her hands. The nail polish on her left middle finger is almost gone, and she starts scraping the rest off with her thumb nail.

"It is because of Lila?" Adrien asks, even though he already knows it is. That and the school's way of dealing with the situation and their classmates lack of trust in their everyday Ladybug. Marinette's eyes flick up to his, and even though it's only for a second the amount of fear in them almost makes his heart stop.

"Lila? Lila Rossi?" Nathalie asks, wanting to be sure.

She knows the girl and Gabriel have some kind of agreement going on, and she knows that most of what come out go her mouth is BS, and she also knows that Adrien isn't particularly fond of her. She, herself, doesn't like her very much either. Not that what she thinks really matters in the scheme of things.

She catches Adrien's eye and frowns. "The girl you model with?"

He nods, looking back at Marinette. "Not by choice." He tells her, shuffling closer to her so their arms are almost touching.

"What has Miss Rossi done?" Nathalie asks, gaze flicking between the kids almost frantically. _What could a child possibly do to make another chid want to be home schooled?_

Adrien snorts unhumorously. "What _hasn't_ she done?" He says sarcastically. Marinette looks at him in surprise, wondering what he's getting at, but she files her thoughts away for later questioning.

"Told the truth." Marinette says, raising an eyebrow. Adrien looks at her and they share a smile before she drops her gaze down to her lap again. "May I use your bathroom?" She asks after a moment, remembering that she hasn't changed her pad since just after lunch so she'll be due for a new one. Adrien nods and she grabs her handbag, ducking into his bathroom quickly, shutting and locking the door behind her.

Once the door's shut, Nathalie looks at Adrien expectantly, and he sighs, scratching the back of his neck again. "Lila's . . ." He shakes his head and looks towards the bathroom door. "She's . . . horrible."

Nathalie frowns and tilts her head. "Horrible how?" She hasn't experienced the feeling she's feeling a whole lot, but she knows protectiveness when she feels it, and this is protectiveness.

Adrien swallows nervously, glancing at the bathroom door one last time before meeting Nathalie's gaze and lowering his voice so Marinette won't overhear. If she does, he'll have no choice but to come clean that he's Cat Noir, because Adrien isn't supposed to know _any_ of this.


	36. Cloud Nerds

**Chapter Thirty Six – Cloud Nerds**

Marinette cringes at the loud sound of her pad opening in the otherwise silent bathroom. Because it's so big and there isn't a lot of things in it, the room is quiet echoey and makes everything she does sound ten times louder.

She removes the old pad from her underwear and sits it on the floor momentarily for lack of other surfaces, and quickly peels the new pad from its wrapper and secures it to her underwear, before wrapping the old pad up in the new pad's wrapper.

Now she has a dilemma. Does she put the old pad in the bin beside the toilet and risk Adrien seeing it, or does she roll it up in some toilet paper and put it in her handbag? She's done that before, once, when she was on a school trip and the toilet stall she went into didn't have a bin, and she didn't want to walk out carrying the rolled–up pad so she stored it in her bag until she could throw it away. It was gross, but it was better than announcing to everyone else in the bathroom that she was on her period.

Deciding that the chances of Adrien sorting through his rubbish bin is minimal, she wraps the wrapped up pad in some toilet paper – just enough that the bright colour of the packaging is hidden, making it less noticeable – and puts it in the bin, covering it with the few tissues inside for extra measure. Then she washes her hands with lots of soap twice because she can almost feel the germs on her fingers after touching someone else's used tissues.

Before she exits the bathroom, Marinette checks that Tikki and Wayzz are okay and have enough cookies to last them until she gets home (whenever that will be). Once she knows they're fine, she makes sure her dress isn't caught in her tights or folded up awkwardly. She's only just opened the door, no more than a slight crack, when she hears Adrien say her name and freezes, almost absentmindedly listening in on his and Nathalie's conversation.

"Marinette hasn't told anyone else as far as I know, and she hasn't even told me _everything_." Adrien sighs and fiddles with his hands in his lap.

He's now sitting with his legs crossed directly in front of Nathalie, and they both have sombre expressions seemingly permanently etched into their faces after that buttload of information he just unloaded about Gabriel's second–best asset. He's a little nervous to be sharing all of the information Marinette's told him when he was in his cat suit, but he trusts Nathalie and he wants to tell her everything he knows about Lila while he has the chance. It's not often she will spend one on one time with him now that she no longer teaches him.

"There's _more_?" Nathalie asks, her expression turning ashen.

Adrien nods almost guiltily. "I think so. I'm pretty sure there is. I don't know why Marinette won't tell me, or what it could possibly be that makes her not tell me. I can only hope she tells _someone_ so it doesn't swallow her whole."

They lapse into a tense silence and Adrien stares down at his hands, waiting for Nathalie to say something. He wishes Plagg was with him, but he hasn't seen him since he and Marinette started working on their assignment. _He's probably napping somewhere_, Adrien thinks, smiling to himself at the thought of his lazy kwami.

"Who else knows?" Nathalie eventually asks quietly.

Behind the bathroom door, Marinette strains to hear her. She has so many emotions swirling around inside her. Confusion as to how the heck Adrien knows all of the things she told _Cat_, betrayal that he's telling someone without her input, regret that she didn't talk to Adrien herself, surprise at how Nathalie's taking the news, fear of what will happen next, and gratefulness that Adrien cares about her enough to be this worried.

Still, it's that confusion that overrides all of the other emotions. How does he know this? It's logical to assume that he's the friend Cat was referring to and that Cat's told him everything, but then that wouldn't explain why Adrien said that _she_ told _him_ these things, when he could just say a friend did. Even with that thought in mind, she somehow knows it isn't true. It's like her heart and her head are trying to tell her something but both are in denial and not sure whether she should know, and without knowing what it is how could she know if she wants to know?

"Not many." Adrien releases a heavy sigh and his shoulders slump. "I know, her parents know, our friend Nino knows, and our whole year knows Lila's a liar but they don't know how _bad_ of a liar." He rolls his eyes.

"What about your teachers? Ms Bustier and Ms Mendeleiev? And Mr Damocles?"

Adrien shrugs slightly and bites his lip, looking at the floor between them. "Mr Damocles knows but I don't think he'll do anything about it."

"And Ms Bustier?" Nathalie knows she's Adrien's main teacher, so surly she must know what Miss Rossi has been doing to Marinette.

Adrien shrugs again. "I don't know."

Normally that kind of answer wouldn't be enough for Nathalie, but this time it is. Adrien blinks in surprise when Nathalie suddenly gets to her feet. She straightens her blazer, eyes drifting to the bathroom door. She sees Marinette move back from it quickly, not wanting to be spotted, and she can only hope she won't be too mad with Adrien for telling her, as clearly the girl didn't want anyone else to know.

"Thank you for telling me Adrien. If you excuse me, I have some matters to attend to." She nods once and walks to the bedroom door stiffly. Before exiting, she looks back at Adrien as another thought occurs to her. "Why don't you take Miss Dupain–Cheng for a walk in the garden? It will give you some fresh air and let you spread your legs." And give Adrien a chance to run away from the possibly angry girl awaiting him behind the bathroom door.

She reaches for the door handle on autopilot, before her instincts kick in and she pulls her hand back to her side so the door remains wide open and prevents any _accidents_ from occurring. _Although_, she muses as she walks back to her office, _judging by what Adrien just told me, neither of them are ready for that_ . . . _occurrence just yet_. _And thank heavens for that, because Gabriel is_ so not ready _to give Adrien that talk_. _The puberty talk was difficult enough for him_._ I can't begin to imagine how Gabriel would possibly be able to handle the safe sex talk_.

Nathalie shakes her head, dismantling those thoughts from her mind as she enters her office. She resets the timer on her phone for ten minutes so she can remember to check on them again (although if Adrien takes her advice and they go into the garden, she'll just peak through the window so she doesn't disturb them), before collapsing into her desk chair and releasing a sigh.

As soon as some of her tension has been released, she sits back up and positions her keyboard in front of her, opening a blank word document to start typing.

If there's one thing Nathalie's good at, it's manipulation. And she's prepared to manipulate the truth right out of the Rossi girl so she never comes within a hundred meters of Adrien or Marinette again.

. . .

The garden was Adrien's mother's favourite place. The two of them used to spend hours playing there while Gabriel was working away in his office. They'd play tips, chase bugs, make up silly stories, have tea parties, and, Adrien's absolute favourite thing, lay on the grass and stare up at the sky, waiting for dragons to go past. And pointing out funny shaped clouds. Then, when it would get dark and the stars came out, Emilie would teach him the constellations and tell him the stories of the stars.

Sometimes his father would join them for those moments, but not often. Gabriel was usually too tired, and he didn't know how to play like Emilie did. He isn't as good at using his imagination outside of clothing designs.

Even though it's a little cold outside and Nathalie told them to 'stretch their legs', Adrien automatically leads Marinette over to where he and his mother used to watch the sky. They lay down together, side by side, hands folded over their stomachs and heads close but not touching.

It's peaceful laying on the grass in the afternoon winter sun. From this angle he can't see the wall that surrounds his house, and he can imagine it isn't there. Keeping him inside. Keeping him imprisoned in his own house.

"Those are cirrus clouds." Adrien says, pointing them out. "They're about six thousand meters above sea level."

Adrien can imagine Plagg facepalming, but the information is out there now. There's nothing he can do about it. Marinette's going to think he's some kind of cloud fact freak and then she'll never fall in love with him so they'll never kiss or get married or have three kids and a hamster named–

"That's a cumulus cloud." Marinette says, pointing at a cloud a little to the left of the cirrus clouds. "It's about a thousand meters off sea level."

Adrien blinks in surprise and turns his head towards her. Her eyes remain on the sky, but her lips are curved up in a small smile. He grins and looks back at the sky.

"You're a cloud nerd too?" He jokes, smiling at the idea of them bonding over their weird knowledge of clouds.

Marinette hums. "I guess so. I did a project on them a couple of years ago and got a little obsessed. I used to be able to name every type of cloud there is, but I can only remember a few now."

"Still pretty cool." Adrien spreads one leg towards hers and bumps their feet together, their shoes making a surprisingly loud banging sound. "I did this with Chloé once when we were little, but she didn't get it. To her clouds are clouds and nothing else."

Marinette giggles slightly. "Nino thinks the same. I think that was just because he never quite got the hang of telling them apart though, so he used to just say that all clouds were stratus clouds."

Adrien giggles. "But those are rain clouds."

Marinette shrugs, smiling growing bigger in her amusement. "We do live in Europe. There's a lot of rain."

They lapse into silence again and Marinette bites her lip. She needs to ask Adrien how he knows so much, but she doesn't want to ask, because if he is who her head's trying to tell her he is then she doesn't know what she's going to do because she can't handle this.

Does she cry? Scream? Run away? Kiss him? She _so_ wants to kiss him but she can't kiss him because he went out with her friend and she can't do that to Kagami and it feels like she's constantly standing on thin ice and everyone keeps giving her more plates to balance but each plate must weigh about a thousand pounds and she doesn't know how much longer she can keep everything upright before is buries her under the ice.

But if it isn't him, and she's just reading the situation wrong and her head isn't trying to tell her anything and she just thinks it is then what? What will she do then?

She can't very well ask him if he's Cat Noir without expecting some questions in return, can she?


	37. She Can't Destroy the Universe

**Chapter Thirty Seven – She Can't Destroy the Universe**

"Adrien?" Marinette eventually says.

She doesn't know how much time has passed, but the cumulus cloud has moved out of their direct line of vision, and she can feel the shade creeping closer to them as the sun gets lower in the sky.

"Yeah?" He asks, rocking his head towards her.

She keeps her gaze on the sky only because she can't handle looking at him and seeing him react.

"How did you know all of the things Lila has done?" He inhales sharply but Marinette still doesn't look at him. Instead, she squeezes her eyes closed. "I get you know about the pregnancy rumour, but how do you know about everything else? I only told one person everything."

"U–Uh, um–" He clears his throat and pulls on his shirt collar.

He's starting to get hot and his heart's pumping like he's being chased by an akuma and he can feel sweat pooling on his hands. _Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck she heard me_. _Of fuck, of shit, whatdoIdo? I don't know what to do! Do I lie? Run away? Question her back?_

"H–How do you know I know?" His tone takes on a defensive note.

Adrenaline courses through Marinette as her fight or flight instincts kick in, but she forces herself to stay, to fight. She can't run away from this because that wouldn't be solving the problem, that would be avoiding it. Her lip trembles, her hands shake, tears prick in her eyes. _Don't freak out_. _You're fine_. _It's okay_. _If you freak out he's going to think you're a nutcase and when he learns the truth you'll lose both your best friend and your partner and the boy you've fallen completely in love with without permission_. Don't. Freak. Out.

Forcing herself to open her eyes and look at him, she meets his gaze as a tear escapes her eye and falls onto the grass beneath her. He blinks in surprise at the offending tear drop and swallows uneasily. He didn't mean to make her cry.

"I asked you first."

Whereas his voice was defensive, hers is weak. Pathetic. Desperate. She doesn't want him to answer any more than he does, but she needs him to. She needs to know. She needs to know that the ice she's standing on isn't about to crumble beneath her and send her plummeting into the freezing cold water that lays in waiting below.

They stare at each other, begging the other to say something, anything, that prevents this conversation from continuing. Marinette blinks and Adrien blinks back in response as if it's a reflex, and if he's who her head thinks he is then it is, because everything with them is a reflex. Automatic. In sync. They have to be if they want to survive.

And that's why she needs to know.

"I only told one person everything." Marinette repeats, eyes boring into Adrien's soul so heavily he can _feel_ them. "One."

"N–Nino?" Adrien asks, hoping, preying, that he can somehow find an out. A way to get out of the hole he's dug. He can't let Marinette know he's Cat Noir. Not only will it betray her trust, Ladybug will also kill him for being so careless with his identity.

Marinette shakes her head. "He knows she's lying, and he knows about the . . . advice you gave me. But he defiantly doesn't know what Lila _did_ to me."

Adrien cringes at the mention of his ill–placed advice. At the time he thought it was the right decision, that if they stopped reacting she'd eventually stop. He had no idea she'd go so far as to _threaten_ his princess.

"You told him that?" Now his voice is weak. He bites his lip nervously. Nino still hasn't said anything about how he came to knew about the advice, and he supposes it's not that important but Adrien still wants to know.

Marinette shrugs. "He wanted to know why I didn't do anything." They lapse into silence again and she frowns, stare hardening, forcing his soul open. "Adrien."

"I . . . I . . . I . . ." He opens and closes his mouth, doing a marvellous impression of a fish, and Marinette raises an eyebrow, not impressed. "I, uh, y–you, um . . ." He squeezes his eyes closed but forces his head to stay turned towards her. He doesn't want her to think he's putting his back to her in her time of need. Because she needs him. Her eyes say so.

"Are you Cat Noir?"

Marinette's voice is so quiet she can barely hear it herself, but Adrien's eyes still shoot open like she'd leaned forward and shouted it directly into his eardrum. His face goes completely white and all he can do is stare at her in complete shock. If it wasn't for the way his eyes wash over her face, trying to figure out what she's feeling, she may have mistaken him for being dead because he's so still.

_NONONONONONONONONO!_ Adrien's mind screams at him. He literally feels his heart stop before it starts pumping wildly. So much blood rushes through his head it makes him dizzy and he has to squeezes his eyes shut and let the darkness wash over him so he can think properly again. _Ladybug is going to kill me!_ He groans and rolls away from Marinette, onto his stomach, and buries his head in his now folded arms.

_She wasn't supposed to find out this way!_ He was supposed to reveal his identity to Ladybug and _then_ broach the subject of asking if he could reveal himself to Marinette. He wasn't supposed to reveal himself to Marinette first! She can't know before Ladybug! Ladybug will be _so_ mad and feel _so_ betrayed and she'll take his Miraculous away and he'll lose Plagg and his partner and his best friend and Marinette will never talk to him again and she'll _definitely_ switch to home schooling just so she can get away from him and it's all is fault! Why wasn't he more careful? Why didn't he just talk to Nathalie later, when Marinette wasn't there? Why didn't he keep checking to make sure the bathroom door stayed shut, or that his voice was still quiet?

Why does everything in his life that makes him happy constantly have a risk of leaving him?

"Adrien?"

Marinette's unsure of what to do. Does she hug him? Give him some space? Leave? Get him some macaroons? Find Plagg to talk to him? Reveal that she's Ladybug? Say she's in love–_NO_! She can't tell him she loves him because he can't love her because their love destroyed the universe and _she_. _can't_. _destroy_. _the_. _universe_!

Hesitantly, as if afraid that she's going to spring forward and attack him, Adrien lifts his head from his arms until one eye is peaking out, half–hidden by his hair and arms. His eyes are filled with tears and haunted by his blatant fear. Marinette swallows uneasily and squeezes her own eyes shut, covering them with her eyes and she turns her head to face the sky again.

Her world has crumbled. She's under the ice. Drowning. He doesn't want her. He can't have her. He will never love her. She's the reason the universe was destroyed. She's taken the only means he has of being himself away from him with her dumb, stupid question.

She can feel the water washing over her, pulling her deeper and deeper into its darkness. Her entire body is numb. She's so cold she's not even shivering anymore. Her heart feels like a stone in her chest, stopping her from breathing. Water fills her nose. Her mouth. Her ears and her eyes. Her dress clings to her like a second skin, growing heavier and heavier as more and more water soaks into her, dragging her under. She doesn't want to open her eyes. She doesn't want to see the sky tell her goodbye.

If she opens her eyes she has to see all of the disappointed faces of those she couldn't protect staring back at her. Mum, Dad, Cat Noir, Tikki, Wayzz, Plagg, Master Fu, Grandma, Grandpa, Nino, Adrien, Kagami, Chloé, Alya, Rose, Juleka, Mylène, Ivan, Nathaniel, Marc, Alix, Max, Sabrina, Kim, Luka, Ms Bustier, _everyone_. Everyone she's ever known, ever met. She can't look at them. She can't stand seeing them seeing her, seeing she's a disappointment, a failure, drowning. She can't see them watch her struggle and do nothing because they know she isn't worth saving.

She's the only one who can save herself.

But she can't. She can't, she can't, she can't. She's cold and soaked and so, _so_ tired. She is _so_ tired. Even if she wanted to she wouldn't be able to fight. There's no fight left in her. All of her fight was saved up for Hawk Moth. For defeating him. And she couldn't even do that. Master Fu gave her one job, one thing to do, and she couldn't even do that and now he's gone and she'll never see him again and she's the guardian and there are nineteen beings depending on her and _she's failed them_.

What's that saying? 'When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on'? She doesn't have enough rope to tie a knot, and even if she did, she doesn't have the strength to hang on.

"Mari?"

His voice sounds like he's under water and her eyes shoot open, half expecting that to be the case. Adrien's rolled onto his side beside her and has a hand on either side of her head, his face hovering over hers with a look of worry etched into his expression. His legs are curled against hers and his knee is digging into her leg just below her knee almost painfully.

"Pri–Mari? Are you okay?"

The more he talks the clearer his voice gets until it's back to normal.

The wind blows and she shivers, curling in on herself a little more. She can feel tears drying on her cheeks and she sniffs, reaching a hand up to try and wipe them away in vain. Adrien shifts above her and his hip comes into contact with hers. He leans his weight on one hand and uses the other to brush her fringe from her eyes. His fingers drift down to her cheek until he's cupping her face gently, thumb stroking the dried tears away.

She's surprised she's not a blushing, fumbling mess right now, but all she can manage is to blink at him in surprise and keep eye contact. She's too tired for anything else, and laying on the ground is surprisingly comfortable.

"I'm okay," She hears herself say, although she wasn't aware until she hears her voice that she was even going to talk. "I'm fine." She forces a smile.

Adrien stares at her and his frown deepens. _No you're not_, he wants to say, but the words get stuck in his throat. Tears keep brimming in her eyes and he watches one run down the side of her cheek and land in her hair. He wipes the wet trail it left behind away with his thumb, not breaking his eye contact with her.

She continues to stare up at him, lips parted slightly and breathing a little loud as if she can't get enough oxygen in with each breath. Her chest rises and falls between them and he can feel her brush against his chest with every inhale. It's only the slightest of pressure, but even that small brush of the feeling of _her_ causes heat to pool in his stomach and groin.

Marinette watches as Adrien's cheeks start to turn red and the way he presses his lips firmly together, as if to prevent something from coming out. As her eyes move from his mouth back to his eyes, he drops down from his hand to his elbow, letting his fingers curl in her hair slightly. She can feel the slight pull when he threads his fingers through it. He's half laying on her now, their chests touching and his legs pressed against her own. She can feel something hard in his pocket digging into her hip, and she angles her hips away from him a little so they're no longer in contact.

His eyes remain locked with hers, even as his flush continues to darken the longer they stare at each other. The only time he breaks eye contact is to look down at her lips and then back up at her eyes, and every time he does so he leans a little closer to her until their breaths intermingle and the ends of their noses brush against each other. Adrien's a little cross–eyed due to his close proximity and as she tries to focus on him her vision goes fuzzy and makes her eyes water for a reason that isn't her tears, so she closes them.

Her heart is pounding in her chest to the point that she's sure he can feel it. A headache forms from one temple to about halfway across her forehead. Now that Adrien's so close to her his chest is pressed flush against hers and she finds it a little hard to breathe. Her hands are still over her stomach, in between them, and she's sure he can feel them shaking. His breath is warm against her skin, and her body is warm where it's pressed against his but everywhere else is freezing and she can't stop shaking and she can't open her eyes and she can't breathe and–

His lips brush against hers, light as a feather, and her entire body stops for a split second. She even stops shaking. Then it's like her nerves are pushed into overdrive and suddenly it's ten times worse.

Her entire body starts quivering and she curls in on herself, pushing him away at the same time as she rolls onto her side and curls into a little ball, hugging her arms around her middle. She can hear him talking, apologising, asking if she's okay. His hand is on her shoulder, shaking her lightly, trying to get her to look at him, talk to him, stop shaking.

"I–I'm sorry princess, I didn't, I wasn't trying to . . . I'm sorry."

His voice breaks through the fog, and she can't tell if it's just how he's talking or if she's still having trouble hearing him, but his words are scrambled, his voice high in panic.

"Princess? Princess, talk to me! Please!" Adrien can feel tears in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

Whereas before he felt he was on fire he now feels like someone's dumped a bucket of ice water on his head. This is his fault. He should've had more control over his emotions and his actions. He doesn't know exactly what came over him, and he doesn't know exactly why she's freaking out so much, but he knows it's his fault.

She mumbles something and he frowns, leaning over her so their faces are close and he can hear her.

"Princess? What was that? What did you say?"

His chest is pressed up against her back and he can feel her shaking. Unsure if it's from the cold or not, he starts rubbing her arm, creating friction. She tenses up at the contact and curls in on herself further, but after a moment she relaxes a little more and leans back against his chest firmly.

"Princess?"

Without opening her eyes, she squeezes them shut even more and tilts her head away from him, as if trying to bury it in the grass beneath them. Her lips part and he leans closer to her again, wanting to hear her this time.

"I'm drowning."


	38. Hot Chocolate Weather

**Chapter Thirty Eight – Hot Chocolate Weather**

Marinette clutches her mug in both hands, watching the hot chocolate inside swirl around due to her still shaking hands.

She's a lot better now. She can breathe properly and her whole body is no longer vibrating uncontrollably. Her lips are quivering, but Nathalie assured her that will go away once she's warm. Hence the hot chocolate.

She's never been inside Adrien's kitchen before but she isn't surprised to see that it's fairly modern and has quite expensive appliances. The room is a rectangle with the entrance (double doors) on one of the short ends, and the double stainless–steel fridge directly opposite on the other. There's an Island in the middle with stools on one side that light from the garden shine onto through the two windows. An oven and stove top are positioned in the middle of the long wall (opposite the windows) and directly opposite that, on the island, is an industrial sized sink. Another oven and a microwave are built into the wall beside the fridge, and surrounding all of the appliances are those cupboards and draws that open when you push on them.

Marinette looks back at her drink and watches the liquid swirl around for a moment longer before taking a sip. It's still a little too hot, but she doesn't mind. On the stool beside her, Adrien shifts slightly and his knee bumps against hers. The fact that she doesn't jump at the contact could either be a sign that her nerves have officially calmed down or that she's just too tired or too numb to react to anything right now.

"Are you okay?" Adrien asks softly, tentatively. His hands are around his own mug, but he's resting his on the bench, having already finished it. "Have you ever had a panic attack before?"

Marinette purses her lips and sits her mug back on the bench, tucking her hands under her thighs on the stool beneath her. She swings her legs back and forth slightly. "Never like that." She finally says, glancing at Adrien nervously before looking away.

Adrien nods and hooks his finger on the handle of his mug, using it to spin it around in circles. It's makes an unpleasant grinding sound as it moves along the bench, but it fills the otherwise silent room with noise so he doesn't mind.

"How long have you been having them?"

Adrien, himself, has had quite a few over the years. His usually result in him taking a run around the city to calm his nerves and make himself feel better. And so he can get out of the prison known as his bedroom. The first one was the day his mother left, right after his father told him the news. He climbed out his window and landed on his leg funny, spraining his ankle, but he didn't pay it any mind and ran to Chloé's so she could distract him, but he ended up running up and down the stairwell until the Gorilla came to find him an hour later and took him home instead.

He still doesn't know what his father was more annoyed about: his sprained ankle or the fact that he ran away.

Marinette shrugs slightly. "I don't know. They've never been this bad before. Usually when I'm overwhelmed I tend to freak out and come up with all sorts of scenarios and that leads to a panic attack." She looks at Adrien and her cheeks flush slightly. "Alya and Nino are the only ones who know I have them."

Adrien frowns and turns in his chair to face her properly, resting his feet on the rung of her chair. "Your parents don't know?"

She shrugs again. "Not that I'm aware of."

They lapse into silence and Marinette stares down into her mug. Now that it's not moving the liquid inside is still but she still watches it, letting her eyes go out of focus and her brain to empty.

Adrien keeps his gaze on her, staring at her profile. Her hair is tucked behind her ear, allowing him to see her face properly, and sure enough he finds himself staring at her lips again. It's still so surreal to know that he kissed her (on the _mouth_!) but at the same time it's kind of like it didn't happen. It only lasted three seconds at the most, and it was barely more than a brush of lips. Unlike when he kissed her cheek and forehead, the feeling of her lips on his disappeared the second he pulled away. There's no lingering feeling, no tingling sensation. He supposes it could be because of the events that occurred right after, but he'd think he would still be able to feel _something_.

All he really remembers super clearly is that her lips were cold against his, and that she didn't kiss him back.

That was part of why the kiss was so light. He didn't want to seem too pushy or scare her away so he kept it light so she'd be able to make the choice to deepen it, not him. When she pushed him away and rolled away from him he felt his heart shatter, but then he realised she was shaking to the point she was practically vibrating and the remains of his heart plummeted straight to the centre of the earth.

He's not entirely sure of what she meant by 'I'm drowning', but he remembers the way she described it to him before, when he was Cat, and he remembered that holding her helped her then and he figured it might've helped her in that instance too.

He's sure Plagg thinks that he was lying and that he had ulterior motives when he laid down and hugged her (spooned her, actually, as Plagg pointed out while Marinette was distracted watching Nathalie make them hot chocolate, ignoring the fact that it isn't really hot chocolate weather anymore), but he didn't. All he thought was that when he was freaking out all he really wanted was for someone to hold him, and that last time she was upset hugging her helped so maybe it would work this time?

It did. Kind of. She stopped shaking so violently eventually, but then she started crying and apologising and then Nathalie appeared out of nowhere and ushered them into the kitchen (which the cook had vacated for the time being until he had to be back at five to cook dinner) and then she made them hot chocolate and talked to Marinette and told her what she was having was a panic attack and that if she focused on her breathing or counting or thinking about something that relaxes her she would eventually be able to calm herself down.

Adrien's sure holding something solid like the mug helped as well, because it was only when Nathalie passed it to her before returning to her work with the instructions for Adrien to fetch her if they need her again that her breathing returned to normal and she, for the most part, stopped shaking.

"I'm sorry I told Nathalie about Lila." Adrien eventually says, making Marinette jump slightly at the sound of his voice in the silent room. "I should've gotten your permission first."

Marinette gapes at him, eyes flicking over his face as if to look for answers, before she meets his eye. "It's okay."

"It is?" He asks hopefully, leaning towards her eagerly.

Marinette feels a twinge of guilt in her heart, but she forces herself to keep talking. "Yeah. That wasn't the part I minded."

Instantly Adrien's expression drops and he leans back. "Oh."

Marinette studies him, taking in his expression, his stance. Everything's starting to make sense now, and she's not sure if she's entirely okay with it or not, but that's how her life has been going as of late. It doesn't matter if she's okay with it or not, it's going to happen anyway.

The friend Cat referred to wasn't a friend but himself, so _of course_ he knew what was happening with her. He thought she had a prince because everyone thought (thinks?) that she and Luka were together. He tensed up when Kagami called and whenever one of them mentioned his name. He already knew Nino was texting her which was why his voice had a strange knowing tone to it. Cat said he didn't have much for dinner and Marinette now knows that Adrien doesn't have much for dinner. Cat was scared of his dad's reaction to him being home late the other night, and he always leaves supper early in the morning.

Hell, Cat has _Gabriel_ brand pyjamas, blonde hair and green eyes, and he believed that Adrien's highroad advice should've worked. _How did it take me this long to figure it out?_

_Although_, she supposes, _he hasn't figured out I'm Ladybug yet, so I'm not the only idiot_.

"I'm not mad at you, kitty." She says. It takes a moment, but then Adrien's head swivels around to look at her so fast he almost falls off his stool. She giggles slightly. "You look like a stunned mullet."

"I feel like a stunned mullet. And a stupid mullet." He scratches the back of his neck, glancing away from her. "I'd kind of hoped you would've . . ." He gestures vaguely with his hand, indicating her panic attack and that he hoped she'd forgotten who he is.

Marinette shakes her head. "I'm surprised I didn't see it earlier. I mean, you look the same, you sound the same, you both scratch the back of your head when you're nervous, you knew what was going on at school, you like puns . . ." She shrugs. "I honestly can't see Cat having been anyone but you."

Adrien smiles shyly. "Thank you, I think?" He swallows nervously and fiddles with his fingers in his lap. "I'm sorry I lied to you."

"You didn't lie to me, Adrien." He looks up at her, biting his lip nervously. "You were protecting your secret. Just like I was." She smiles at him softly, reaching out and taking his hand, interlacing their fingers.

He smiles down at their joined hands before looking back at her. "Yeah. I'm still sorry about telling Nathalie. I should've talked to you first."

But Marinette's already shaking her head. She gives his hand a squeeze, turning in her seat to face him properly. Like this, their knees are in between each other's and their entwined hands are resting on his knee.

She smiles. "That's not the secret I'm referring to, _chaton_."

Adrien blinks at her, before frowning in confusion. _'_Chaton_'? Why is she calling me '_chaton_'? Only Ladybug calls m–ooh_ . . .

_Well that makes sense_.

_Actually_ . . .

_No_. _No, no it doesn't_. If Marinette is Ladybug then why is she also Multimouse? She couldn't be two superheros at the same time. Plus Marinette is clumsy and shy and very self–conscious, while Ladybug is the exact opposite. But then Marinette is also brave and selfless and for fuck's sake he's called her their class' everyday Ladybug on multiple occasions!

_Oh, she must've felt the irony of that_ so hard!

Plus didn't Ladybug say that she was clumsy? Madly clumsy? When they first met? _Yes, yes she did, I remember that now_. And Ladybug is passionate and Marinette is passionate and creative and Ladybug's kwami is the kwami of creation and _holy shit they look exactly the same_!

All Marinette does to turn into Ladybug is basically put on a ladybug onesie and attach a mask. That's it! Nothing else! At least he changes his hair style, Marinette doesn't even do that.

Adrien shakes his head in disbelief, running his fingers through his hair as every single encounter he's ever had with Ladybug and Marinette come back to him and he watches the two most important girl's in his life blend into one and _oh my _God_, how did I not see this before?_

Marinette watches the emotions in Adrien's eyes change as he sits in contemplation. She takes the fact that he's still holding her hand as a good sign, and when his shoulders eventually sag and he meets her eyes, cheeks flushing darkly when he realises she's been watching him the whole time, her nerve endings relax for the first time in weeks and she almost slides off the stool in relief.

"So," She presses her lips together and taps her fingers against her thigh nervously, glancing at him and then away as she thinks. She smiles sheepishly. "_Tempest_?"


	39. Crêpes

**Chapter Thirty Nine – Crêpes**

Marinette taps her pen against her notebook absentmindedly, reading over the last question on the page. It's early – before her alarm – but she woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep so what better way to make herself tired then to study for a test that isn't happening for another month? Unfortunately, because of all of the studying she's done lately, physics is actually starting to make sense and no longer leaves her as exhausted as it once did, meaning it didn't make her tired and instead she spent the last two hours doing physics homework on a Saturday morning.

Finishing the question, Marinette groans and leans back in her chair. She hisses in pain when her muscles protest to her movements and she massages her neck before stretching out her legs and back. She gets up only to trip over the leg of her desk chair and fall onto the floor, bringing her physics textbook down with her.

Tikki springs awake at the sudden noise, flying around the room quickly on instinct before settling down on Marinette's closed notebook. She lets out a big yawn and watches Marinette get back to her feet, rubbing her knee where a new bruise is no doubt forming.

"Morning Tikki, did you sleep well?" Marinette says, stroking her kwamis head before dropping a kiss there.

Tikki nods, eyes slipping closed as Marinette continues to stroke her, before they shoot open again at another realisation. "Your alarm hasn't gone off!"

Marinette blinks at her in surprise of her outburst. "Yeah," She says, absentmindedly running her fingers through her hair to push it back from her face. "I guess not." She smiles at Tikki. "Do you want breakfast or do you want to sleep a little longer? I'm in the mood for crêpes."

Tikki blinks at her holder, startled by her sudden appetite. She can't remember the last time _Marinette_ made the decision to eat something rather than it being made for her, such as with Nino and Adrien and her parents.

"Um . . ."

Marinette smiles kindly and taps Tikki on the head. "I'll let you sleep. I'll bring you up a crêpe later."

Leaving Tikki to sleep a little longer, Marinette pulls her hair into a messy bun with a scrunchy and goes downstairs. She goes back upstairs when she remembers her alarm hasn't been turned off yet and she should turn it off first so it doesn't wake Tikki (the poor mite looks ever so tired and confused).

"Good morning, sweetie." Sabine greets, looking up from the newspaper she is reading on her tablet while her coffee cools. "You're up early."

Marinette hums in agreement, opening the cupboard beside the oven and stove to get a frying pan out. "Yeah. I'm going to make crêpes; do you want some?" She sets the frying pan on the stove and crosses the kitchen to get the electric mixer out of another cupboard.

"Ooh, yes please." Sabine says, mouth already watering at the thought of Marinette's crêpes. "You make the best crêpes. Even better than your father's." She smiles cheekily.

Marinette giggles. "Don't let Dad hear you saying that."

She continues to talk to her mother as she makes the crêpes from memory, the recipe having been engrained in her head for many years at this point. She spreads Sabine's out on a plate and sprays canned wipe cream onto it, adding cut up strawberries before rolling it up. She does the same for hers but uses a little less wiped cream.

After eating, she makes another for Sabine to take down to Tom, before making Tikki's, which she adds some Nutella to. Tikki's asleep when she takes it up for her though, so she leaves it on her desk beside her and goes back downstairs to clean the kitchen and put the left over mixture in the fridge, so they can either have it as a dessert after dinner or for tomorrow's breakfast.

Taking note of the time – a little after eight – she goes to the bathroom to get ready for the day, before going to her room to get dressed. She smiles at the soft snores emitting from the basket of wool Tikki has chosen to sleep in, before standing in front of her closet with the doors wide open, eyes running over her options.

"You should wear another design." Wayzz says upon emerging from the phonograph, making Marinette jump and let out a little shriek.

Tikki shifts in her sleep before nuzzling into the wool. The snoring starts up again a moment later.

"It will give Mr Agreste more of an idea of what kind of designer you are." He smiles at her innocently.

Marinette gives him a doubtful smile, crossing her arms. "I think you've been spending too much time with Tikki." She says, to which he simply shrugs at. She lets out a sigh and looks back at her closet. "But I can't be a designer anymore, Wayzz. I'm the guardian. I need to protect you and the miracle box. Especially since we haven't even defeated Hawk Moth yet."

Wayzz makes a disapproving noise and nuzzles into Marinette's cheek. "Master Fu wasn't just the guardian. Just because you're the guardian doesn't mean you can't also be Marinette."

She lets out another sigh, this one deeper, and her shoulders slump as the seemingly permanent exhaustion she feels whenever she thinks about _everything_ rears its ugly head. "Thanks Wayzz," She says instead of arguing. She doesn't have the energy for that right now.

"Can I choose your outfit?" He asks her excitedly, doing a little backflip in the air.

She smiles and waves a hand towards her closet. "Sure."

She sits down on her chaise and watches the kwami flit through all of her clothes, murmuring to himself. Eventually he tugs on a 60s style emerald green A–line dress with four large, black buttons on the bodice and a bow around the waist, tied at the back. It was one of the last things she finished before she became the guardian.

"This." He tells her, leaving no room for negotiation.

Marinette raises an eyebrow. "I wore a dress yesterday."

"And Mr Agreste couldn't keep his eyes off you. Younger Mr Agreste," He adds when Marinette scrunches up her nose in disgust.

"You mean Adrien." She says. He nods quickly and tugs on the dress again, seemingly trying to get it off the hanger. "Fine. I'll wear the dress."

"_Yay_!" He lets it go and flies around her head before nuzzling into her cheek. "Please don't let Tikki know I'm the reason you're wearing green. She always complains I have too much influence on holder's decisions."

. . .

"Another Marinette Dupain–Cheng original?" Adrien asks, holding the front door open for Marinette.

She steps inside and smiles at him kindly, exchanging cheek kisses in greeting before allowing him to shut the door. "Yes. What about you? Another _Gabriel_ original?" Her eyes twinkle in amusement and she smirks lightly.

He snorts, putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "All my clothes are _Gabriel_." He shrugs nonchalantly. "I wouldn't mind a Marinette original, though." He winks at her and removes one hand from his pocket to loop it through her arm.

"Maybe for your birthday." She says, smile faltering slightly. Despite what Wayzz said earlier, she still sees no future where she can be a well–known fashion designer while also being the secret guardian of the miracle box. It just doesn't seem possible.

"Father wanted me to bring you to his office when you arrived." Adrien says when Marinette looks at him questionably when they turn left on the staircase instead of right. "Did you remember your sketchbook?"

"I did."

"Cool," Adrien grins and bumps his hip against hers playfully. "I love your designs." They reach Gabriel's office and he knocks on the door, before checking his jumper is spotless and isn't sitting funny.

"Come in." They hear Gabriel say from the other side.

Adrien smiles at Marinette reassuringly, trying to hide his own nerves, and she smiles back, tightening her grip on her school bag. It doesn't exactly go with her dress, but she needed a bag to bring her cardigan in case she gets cold (since it's oddly warm today and the black tights under her dress are enough to keep her warm for the moment), as well as all of the books they need to complete the assignment. Plus she brought macarons for them to share in secret.

"Ah, Miss Dupain–Cheng," Gabriel greets, watching the two kids enter his office. He steps away from his desk and meets them halfway. "I see you're wearing another of your designs."

"Yes sir," She swallows nervously and Adrien slips his arm from hers to take her hand instead.

Gabriel raises an eyebrow at the movement (_an improvement from yesterday_, he notes) but doesn't comment. "Do you have your sketchbook today?" He asks, turning his focus back to Marinette's face rather than her hand entwined with his son's.

She nods.

"Excellent. May I have a look at it?"

She nods again and removes her hand from Adrien's grasp, slipping her schoolbag off her shoulders. She awkwardly holds it in one hand against her legs and uses the other to pry the zipper open and dig it out from under her cardigan, which falls onto the floor as she removes the book. Adrien ducks down and picks it up quickly, refolding it messily before putting it back in her bag for her, which he then takes to hold.

"Thank you," She tells Adrien, before passing her sketchbook to Gabriel. "I haven't really designed anything lately, so it's a little dusty." She tells him, noticing his eyes inspecting the cover.

"Did you make this too?" He asks, surprising her, but she recovers quickly and nods. "And your bag?" He asks, noticing the matching flower pattern on it.

"Yes."

"She has a matching purse too," Adrien adds in, swinging her schoolbag onto his shoulder. "But she hasn't worn that lately."

"It's a little too small for what I carry to school most days." She says as a way for explanation.

Gabriel nods to her handbag. "But you didn't design that?" She shakes her head.

He makes a noise at the back of his throat to indicate his recognition before flipping the sketchbook open. The room dissolves into silence, save for the flipping of the pages, and Adrien and Marinette glance at each other nervously, unsure whether they should stay where they are or leave him to it.

After ten minutes, he reaches the end of the sketchbook and closes it. He passes it back to Marinette, who hugs it to her chest like it's a safely blanket, and puts his hands behind his back professionally. The kids both look at him, waiting for his response, and a rare genuine smile ghosts across his lips.

"I have a proposition for you, Miss Dupain–Cheng."

Marinette blinks in surprise, unsure if she heard him correctly. "Pardon? A proposition?"

"Yes. Nathalie spoke with your parents last night and they told her you have been having some issues at your school regarding a student–"

"Lila." Adrien cuts in sharply, putting a hand on Marinette's shoulder.

Gabriel pauses, a little shocked at his son's outburst, before clearing his throat. "Yes. Miss Rossi. Nathalie told me your parents want you to be home schooled?" He poses it as a question and she nods, avoiding Adrien's gaze. "When will that be happening?"

"Um . . ." She shifts uncomfortably and wraps her arms around her middle for comfort. "They were thinking Monday last time we spoke about it."

"Monday?" Adrien gapes at her. "As in _this_ Monday?" She nods, biting her lip.

"Excellent." Gabriel says, causing the kids to both look at him in surprise.

"Wait, what?" They say together.

"My proposition for you is to learn under me as an intern. You're, what, fourteen? Fifteen? I usually take interns in at sixteen and older, but I'll make an exception for you."

Marinette opens and closes her mouth, a high–pitched squeak escaping her as opposed to actual words, before she shakes her head. "But, wh–"

"Why?" Gabriel raises an eyebrow. "I like your style; you have passion in what you create and I know that you already have a skill set beyond your years. I have no doubt that you will make a successful designer if you continue to pursue it, and quite frankly I'd rather you be an ally than a rival." He tilts his head questionably, raising both his eyebrows. Like that, he kind of looks like Adrien. "Is that 'why' enough?"

"Um . . ." She rubs her upper arm nervously, glancing at the ground between Gabriel's feet and hers and Adrien's. "I suppose so."

"Great." Gabriel nods once and turns around, moving back to sit at his desk. "If you switch to home schooling on Monday I would like you to arrive here on Tuesday morning at nine o'clock. Nathalie will talk you through everything, give you the tour, etcetera, and then she will take you to Gabriel so you can get to know the designing team, the sewing team, and you will be given projects to complete. As this is an internship and you are a minor, I cannot legally pay you, however in return you will have full access to all of my supplies for your own pleasure outside of the projects."

_I think I'm dead_, Marinette thinks, staring at Gabriel with more shock and surprise than she thought she was capable of. Even more shock and surprise than the first time she met Tikki. What is she supposed to do? This is literally a dream come true! It's everything she ever wanted, but she can't take it, can she? She can't be a designer. She can't make her own clothes. She can't do any of it anymore, and that's not even just because she's the guardian.

It's not just that she gave up her dream of being a fashion designer and _stopped_ designing, it's that she _stopped designing_. She ran out of ideas, lost her inspiration. She tried, obviously, but no matter what nothing came to mind. Nothing. At all. Usually _something_ would come to mind even if it was something she'd never make (the Cat Noir swimmers, for example) but now her mind is blank. Empty. Void of creation.

But even _she_ knows she can't pass this up. And even if she did, she knows she'll only regret it later on. And Gabriel probably won't take no for an answer anyway. She knows that much about him.

She steals a quick look down at her handbag to see Tikki and Wayzz beaming up at her. _Great_. _I have their approval too_.

"Mari?" Adrien asks softly, slipping his hand from her shoulder to her back.

Inhaling a deep breath and hoping she looks more confident than she feels, she meets Gabriel's gaze and forces a smile. "Okay."


	40. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**Chapter Forty – One Step Forward, Two Steps Back**

Gabriel's office door shuts behind them with a soft _thud_. Adrien looks at Marinette expectantly, waiting for that happy squeal to escape her. He's met with a blank look and glazed over eyes, and immediately takes her hand and leads her to his room, putting her backpack on the floor beside his bed as he shuts the door behind them.

"Mari, what's wrong? If you feel that Father's putting too much pressure on you, we can talk to Nathalie and she'll–"

"Adrien, I have to tell you something." She cuts him off, meeting his gaze with haunted eyes.

Adrien's words die on his tongue. He swallows nervously and wrings his hands together, looking at the floor between them. He nods, steeling himself for what he knows is coming. Every time Ladybug wanted to talk it always ended with his heart broken. It hurt, and yeah, he sulked for a while, but he did eventually move on from the pain of rejection. If Marinette rejects him though (and he knows she will, because if she doesn't like him as Cat Noir than she won't like him as Adrien), his heart won't only break: it'll shatter. It will destroy him, and he won't be able to just force a smile, jump over a few rooftops, sulk through an akuma attack or two, and then move those feelings on.

He won't be able to just grin and bear it, but he'll try. For her.

"Before you do," Adrien says as a last chance to stop the inevitable – the thing that's been playing on his mind since he found out who Ladybug is. "Can I just say that you are my best friend, and the greatest, most fantastic partner in crime–fighting anyone could ever ask for." He flashes her his Cat Noir smile, hoping it hides the fear in his eyes.

Marinette smiles. "That title belongs to you, kitty, but thank you. But I have to–"

"When I got my Miraculous I was in a really dark place." Adrien continues, talking over her.

He's on a roll now. He's jumped out of the plane and falling through the sky and he's _pretty sure_ he has a parachute. If not, hopefully Marinette's there in her Ladybug suit with her yoyo to catch him.

"Mother had just gone, Father had locked himself away in his office, my only friend was Chloé – which you can agree with me on wasn't the _greatest_ friendship to have – and I had been unable to successfully get to school without the Gorilla and Nathalie catching me." He's pacing now, walking a few steps left and then spinning around and going right.

"Adrien–"

"And then _boom_!" He blows air out his mouth and throws his hands wide, as if to mime an explosion. Marinette blinks at him in surprise, stunned. "Ivan turned into Thing from _Fantastic Four_ and _poof_! There was a box on my coffee table with a magical black cat with the power of destruction inside." He grins at her, coming to a stop for a moment before spinning around and continuing his pacing.

Marinette holds a finger up. "I don't think Ivan would appreciate you comparing him to Th–"

"And that box started the happiest time of my life. I got to break out of my prison, be myself, fight evil." His gaze goes back to her and his expression softens as he takes her in for what must be the millionth time. "And I got to be with you. In more ways than one, apparently." He laughs quietly at the level of obliviousness they seem to have been stuck on for so long.

"Adrien," Marinette sighs, looking back at the ground to avoid his gaze. His expression. His love.

"I'm not finished yet." He tells her, but he doesn't mean with his speech.

In three steps he's in front of her and taken both her hands in his, holding them between them and lightly stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. They both stare down at their hands, afraid to look each other in the eye for different reasons and also the same exact reason.

"My Lady," Adrien swallows nervously and Marinette squeezes her eyes closed. "Mari, I . . . I lo–"

"Do you remember Saint Athanasius day? When I gave you your beret?" She interrupts, talking so fast she's surprised the words don't tumble over each other.

Adrien frowns, confused, but nods anyway. "Yeah, of course. What about it?"

Marinette inhales a deep breath and squeezes Adrien's hands, anchoring herself. "I lied to you. The beret isn't from your fan club in Brazil, it's from me. But I had to lie because if I didn't you would've found out my identity, become akumatised and then destroyed the universe."

Adrien's mouth drops open and his grip on her hands goes slack, before he tightens it and leans towards her, frowning. "What are you talking about? How would a beret do that? Why would I get akumatised?"

"I don't know." Tears form in her eyes and she tilts her head back, blinking them away. "But you were, and Bunnix found me and took me into an alternate timeline where Paris was flooded and the moon was gone and you were there all by yourself except you weren't _you_, you were Cat Blanc."

"Cat Blanc?" He questions, and she shudders, curling in on herself. Adrien purses her lips and tightens his grip on her hands. "Mari?"

"Your suit was white," She continues, focusing her gaze on the collar of his jumper, where his bell would be if he were transformed. "And your e–eyes were blue. Y–You were crying but you kept smiling and saying my name. My _real_ name." She squeezes her eyes shut and whimpers slightly, all too aware of how intensely Plagg, Tikki and Wayzz are listening in on their conversation from wherever they're hiding.

"So," Adrien swallows nervously and wets his lips. "In this alternate timeline I was akumatised from Adrien int–"

"No," Marinette shakes her head. "You were Cat Noir when you were akumatised. It was in your bell."

"The akuma?" She nods and he releases a breath through his teeth, making a hissing sound. "Okay, I was akumatised into this . . . Cat Blanc persona, and I knew your identity . . ." His eyes widen and he looks at her desperately. "I wasn't akumatised because I _learnt_ your identity, was I?"

She shrugs helplessly, lips quivering as tears escape her closed eyes and run down her cheeks. "I–I don't know, but I don't think so. You expected me to know your identity too, and you said that I didn't love you anymore, and that Hawk Moth found out about everything, and you said that our love was what destroyed everything." She inhales a deep breath shakily, forcing her eyes to meet his. "And Hawk Moth and I were dead."

There's a beat of silence and Adrien is sure his heart has stopped. '_Dead'? What does she mean 'dead'? How is that possible?_ "How d–did y–you . . ." He presses her lips together, and again she shrugs.

"I only saw it for a moment, because I fell into the water, but we were at the Eiffel tower, and it kind of looked like we'd been fossilised, but when I touched me – the other me – I disintegrated, like I was made of a–ash."

Adrien's blood runs cold and he drops her hands, stepping back from her. "I _cataclysmed_ you?"

Marinette shakes her head hastily. "It wasn't _you_, though! It wouldn't have been! I know you; you would never hurt me! You–"

"Weren't there!" Adrien cuts her off, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. "You weren't there for that so you don't know what happened. I–I killed you!"

"_No_!" Marinette shouts, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him tightly, less of a hug and more of a desperate attempt to hold onto him. "No." She says again, softer. "Cat Blanc isn't you. He's a product of Hawk Moth's power and control. He isn't you. You're nothing like him. Trust me. I fought him; I see him every time I go to sleep; I saved him."

Slowly, his arms wrap around her and he leans the top of his head against hers. They're both quivering, trying not to cry, trying not to let their demons appear and ruin everything.

"If this happened on Saint Athanasius day, why are you only telling me now?" Adrien murmurs quietly.

Forcing back a sob, Marinette buries her nose in Adrien's neck and blinks back another wave of tears. "I–I couldn't. I couldn't say anything." She sniffs and clutches the fabric of his jumper, tightening her arms around his waist in the process.

"Why?" Adrien asks, but he already suspects the answer.

"It would make it real."

They stand in silence, just holding each other. Slowly, ever so slowly, the whole story comes out – in the right order – of how she made him the beret, transformed into Ladybug, ran into Bunnix, went through the portal, fought Cat Blanc, went back in time to erase her name – and the timeline – from existence, and then vowed to never speak of it again in order to save them both the heartache. She also tells him about her nightmares, how almost every night since she's seen _him_, heard _his_ voice, seen those eyes.

"That's one of the reasons." She murmurs, nuzzling her nose against Adrien's collarbones.

His hands cease their gentle caressing of her back as his confusion at her statement sets in, before he remembers that talk in her room on Monday night, when she finally told him just how badly Lila's lies affected her (along with his oh so shitty advice).

"Are there any more?" He buries his nose in her soft hair and inhales the smell of her berry shampoo, letting his eyes slide closed as his mental exhaustion sinks in.

He contemplates moving them to the couch or his bed so they don't have to stand, but afraid that that may be either too inappropriate (especially in Nathalie walks in to check on them) or mean Marinette will break her hold on him, he decides against it.

"Master Fu," She says so quietly Adrien almost misses it, but as soon as the name registers in his mind he wants to slap himself.

Of course Marinette, who is Ladybug, would be struggling right now! She just lost Master Fu a few months ago, and Adrien knows that the two of them were a hell of a lot closer than Adrien and him were (for obvious – guardian – reasons). He knows that Ladybug has been struggling for some time. The run across Paris proved that just a few days ago. And he remembers that it was after Master Fu left that Marinette's emotional state began to decline. Not that he noticed at first, he only recognised it because Kagami pointed out that Marinette seemed sadder than usual, and then Nino said something about 'one step forward, two steps back', and then he couldn't help but notice that _something_ was off with her. That's why he visited her as Cat Noir, because he knew she was always more comfortable around his superhero self than his civilian.

It wasn't much of a visit, really. She was watering the plants on her balcony when he, literally, dropped in on her with some pun or another, scaring the socks right off of her, and then he made up some excuse for why he was there – something about his 'kitty senses', as she so elegantly put it weeks later, although he doesn't actually remember using that term (although he wouldn't put it past himself).

He remembers a lot of sarcasm and rolling of eyes and dismissals on her part, but she didn't shoo him away or tell him to leave or seem overly uncomfortable by his presence, so he stayed. They talked about one thing or another – nothing important – and he got to enjoy the sassy side of Marinette he hardly got to see as Adrien. He didn't find out why she had changed, why she was sad, why she didn't hang out with them as much at school anymore, but that was fine, he told himself, because he'd just come back again and find out then.

Needless to say, that didn't happen, and what started as a visit or two a week on her balcony (which usually went for less than half an hour), turned into every other night for longer than initially planned, then when it got colder and the nights got darker, she invited him inside. After that, he visited her every night he could spare. They talked, laughed, played games, he helped her with homework sometimes, ate macarons (although, thinking back on it, he does remember that it was more often than not just him eating them, as unfortunately Marinette had always already brushed her teeth), and just hung out in general.

All the while, Ladybug pushed him further and further away. And Adrien's finally starting to see why.

"Did Master Fu know? About Cat Blanc?" His voice cracks on his akumatised persona's name, and he coughs to clear it.

Marinette shrugs slightly. "I didn't tell him, so unless Tikki or Bunnix did, I doubt it."

Adrien purses his lips. "Wasn't that against the rules? Wasn't he supposed to know everything?"

Again, Marinette shrugs. "It was hard to tell with Master Fu. I mean, for the first few months we had our Miraculous we didn't even know there was a guardian or that Master Fu existed." She inhales a shaky breath and tightens her grip on Adrien's jumper. "I understand why his rules were in place, and why they were important to him. Master Fu made plenty of mistakes over the years, made decisions and choices that cost him lives – his own and others' – and his sole purpose in life was to protect the miracle box and make sure that nothing ever happens to it. Ever."

She sniffs and unwinds an arm from around Adrien to rub her nose before hugging him tightly again. Adrien returns the favour, squeezing her middle and shifting his stance slightly as his feet start to hurt from standing in one spot for so long, the movement making them sway from side to side slightly.

"And some of his rules – the identity one, for example – kept us safe. I mean, think about how many akumas we've fought and how many where one or both of us could easily have been hit and been under their power."

"Or when I was reckless and _was_ under their power." Adrien says bitterly, but Marinette shakes her head.

"Not your fault. Not entirely, at least. Think about how new we were to fighting at those times, and think about how young we were. Still are. We're children fighting in a war that we don't know if we can even win. It wasn't fair of Master Fu to burden us with these powers and this task, no matter how right we are for the roles."

Adrien releases a heavy breath and continues rubbing Marinette's back, finding the motion of doing so relaxing. "I never asked you, but do you even want to be Ladybug?" Marinette stills against him, and he swallows audibly. "I–I mean, I know you like helping people and you are _so right_ in the fact that you are made to be Ladybug, that you _are_ Ladybug, but if you had the choice . . . would you want to be?"

The room is so silent that you could hear a pin drop. Marinette's arms go slack around Adrien, and then she slowly and gently pulls away from him so she can look him in the eye. She shivers at the loss of his body heat against her, but she needs to look him in the eye, for him to look her in the eye.

Because the truth is, she doesn't think she would.


	41. Exhausting

**Chapter Forty One – Exhausting**

"Could we sit down?" Marinette asks, biting her lip nervously.

Adrien nods automatically and starts to lead her over to the couch, but then she sits on the end of his bed and lets out a big sigh. Scratching the back of his neck and hoping his cheeks aren't as flushed as they feel, he sits down next to her. His added weight on the mattress makes her lean into him so their shoulders are touching, and he waits for her to move away. When she doesn't, he relaxes and puts his arms behind him, leaning back on them for support.

"If you had the choice would you be Cat Noir?" Marinette says eventually. Her voice is still quiet, but in the otherwise silent room it's easy for him to hear.

"Yes." He says straight away, without hesitation.

_That's where we're different_, Marinette thinks, fiddling with her fingers in her lap. "I wouldn't." She feels Adrien shift beside her, turn his head sharply to look at her, but she stares stubbornly at the floor. "At least I don't think I would."

"Why not?" Sitting up properly, Adrien slips his hand over hers and squeezes. After what feels like an eternity, she flips her hand over and interlaces their fingers, squeezing back.

"Do you remember our first fight? I was terrified. Of everything. And you didn't even hesitate. It was like fighting akumas was something you did every day already. And that's amazing, but I couldn't even get my yoyo to work properly." She shakes her head, releasing a soft snort at those early attempts.

"Yeah, every time you threw it it hit me on the head." Adrien giggles, stroking his thumb across the back of her hand.

"Yeah. But the only reason I transformed the first time was because I just repeated what Tikki told me to say, not because I actually wanted too. And then Mum started coming up to my room so I had to go onto the balcony, and then I figured since I was meant to be a superhero I may as well try to help Ivan, a–and, I mean, you kinda know what happened next." She smiles at him and reaches up, patting the top of his head gently where her yoyo hit him so long ago.

"I do remember how scared you were, and that you didn't seem to really know what to do." Adrien murmurs, and Marinette nods in agreement.

"Well, remember how I failed to capture and deevilise the akuma?" Adrien nods. "When I found out I had failed I took my Miraculous off, and the next day at school I put it in Alya's bag so she could be the superhero instead, because I know she'd make a brilliant superhero. Better than me."

"That's not true." Adrien tightens his grip on her hand and turns slightly to face her, although she keeps her gaze on the floor. "I mean the part about Alya being a better superhero than you. Obviously she's an amazing superhero herself, but she's no better than you."

Marinette shrugs slightly, turning her head to meet his gaze. "You're just saying that because I've saved your butt so many times." He grins and shrugs, feigning innocence. "But then when the akuma attacked Alya left without her bag so I went after her and then she got trapped by the car so I had to transform a–and . . . well, you also know what happened after that. You were there. But even though I stood up to Hawk Moth and saved Ivan and Mylène – and Chloé – I still didn't want to be a superhero. And there are times I do wish I wasn't one."

Adrien frowns and shifts closer to her so their sides are touching. He mulls her words over in his mind while she studies the floor beneath their feet. A quick glance at the clock beside his bed lets him know that Nathalie will be along sooner rather than later, and he figures it will probably be advisable for them to be _working_ and not _sitting on his bed_, so even though he doesn't want to rush her, he knows he has to move the conversation along.

"Like when?" He asks softly, voice cracking slightly. He clears it awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Like when we first met Bunnix – when we were fighting Chris from the future – and she mentioned all of the villains we've defeated and the fact that we're still fighting and going off of how old she looked that means we're at least in our twenties and probably working or going to university or _whatever_, and we're _still fighting_." She lets out another big sigh and flops back on his bed, putting an arm over her eyes, her hand still entwined with his. "It's just _exhausting_! Don't you find it all _exhausting_?"

Adrien hesitates for a moment, before he lays down next to her. Their feet are still hanging off the end of his bed, so it feels like they're going to slip off at any moment thanks to gravity, and he tries not to think about the fact that _Ladybug_ is on _his bed_. Letting those thoughts into his mind would _defiantly_ making sleeping difficult tonight.

"At times, yeah. It can also be a bit of a nuisance. I mean, if an akuma attacks at night we're tired during the day, and if one happens during the day we miss school and outings and, like, movies, and it constantly feels like I'm trying to play catch up and I feel so guilty for having begged Father to let me go to school only for me to not be there half the time because of akumas, and . . . yeah. It is exhausting."

Releasing his own big sigh, Adrien lets his gaze go out of focus as he stares up at the ceiling. He feels a pressure on his shoulder and he turns his head slightly to see that Marinette's leaning her head against him, and he smiles, looking back at the ceiling.

They stay like that for some time, before Marinette sits up and says they should really be working on the PowerPoint for the presentation if they want to finish it so they can work on the speech and then have tomorrow to finalise everything, plus since Adrien has a photoshoot and they won't be working on the assignment after today (since it's due on Monday, Marinette's last day of school – apparently), she's made plans to spend some time with Nino and tell him she's switching to home schooling.

Needless to say, Adrien does as he's told because when Marinette tells you to do something you do it unless you want to be on the receiving end of one of her Disapproving Mum looks (not that he'll tell her she has such a look). It's a good thing they do, too, because no sooner have they pulled PowerPoint up on Adrien's computer when Nathalie arrives with a glass of water for each of them and inquiries into how everything's going and if they need any help – they don't, but they thank her for offering – before leaving them to it, starting an alarm on her phone so she remembers to check on them in ten minutes time. She highly doubts anything would actually happen between them (neverminded the fact that a lot _could_ happen in ten minutes) but it makes her feel better knowing she isn't leaving them to their own devices for long periods of time.

By the time Marinette goes home several hours and one delicious lunch later, the PowerPoint is completely finished and speech half written. Even though the plan was for them to finish the speech on Sunday, once Adrien's had his dinner and said goodnight to both Nathalie and his father (who once again decided to join him for dinner, not that that made much of a difference in regards to how much conversation happened at the table), he changes into his pyjamas – as has become the custom – and transforms into Cat Noir to go to Marinette's house.

It is a productive visit, however, because they decide to finish off the speech before doing anything else. Anything else ends up being laying in Marinette's bed and watching _The Little Mermaid_ until they both nod off halfway through due to sheer exhaustion. Plagg then wakes Adrien around six so he can be in his room when Nathalie knocks on his door to tell him to get up, as if his (incredibly loud) alarm wouldn't have already done that.

Marinette wakes up shortly after Cat leaves, but then rolls over and continues to sleep for the next hour or so before getting up. She cooks the rest of the crêpe batter before dressing in jeans and a Jagged Stone hoodie, pairing it with some converse. Nino arrives at ten, and, after grabbing a croissant each, they decide to walk through the park across the street.

"Mmm," Nino moans, closing his eyes and letting the flavours of the croissant wash over his tongue. "In another life I would totally marry you."

Marinette giggles, bumping her elbow against Nino's arm. "Are you talking to me of the croissant?"

"Both." He grins at her, not caring about the fact that pastry crumbs are stuck to his chin and around his mouth. "But don't tell Alya. I don't want to make it up to her by filming akuma attacks for her." He shudders at the thought of chasing after monsters made from demonic butterflies under the power of a terrorist with the weirdest fashion sense. Again.

Marinette rolls her eyes, smile faltering as she looks at the remains of her own croissant. Appetite suddenly gone, she passes it to Nino who quickly devours it, despite having only just finished his. "I don't think there's a risk of that." She murmurs, focusing on the footpath beneath their feet.

Nino's head swivels around to look at her so fast he almost trips over his feet from the change in momentum. His eyes are so wide he wouldn't be surprised if they popped out of his head, and he's grateful it's still too cold for flies because his mouth is _definitely_ open right now.

"_What_?" He squeaks, voice so high–pitched Marinette looks at him in surprise, half–expecting to see that Nino's somehow turned into a chipmunk. "Has she said something to you? Is she asking weird question again? I know that she's been a little . . . uh, not–so–nice lately, but just let me talk to her and–"

"Nino, Nino, Nino," Marinette says, putting her hands on his shoulders and forcing them both to come to a stop.

She opens and closes her mouth, unable to form actual words, and Nino's expression morphs into one of worry as the seconds tick by. His eyes flick over her face, taking in the crease in her eyebrows, the paleness of her skin, the water in her eyes, the way her hands tremble on his shoulders. He's known her long enough to read her like a book, and right now her pages are screaming _guilt_.

"Do we need to find a _Harry Potter_ book?" Her mouth quirks up in a half smile, and he wraps his arms loosely around her waist, pulling her to him in a hug. Her arms slide around his shoulders and she cuddles into him. "We're not far from the take–a–book, leave–a–book café?"

Marinette giggles, squeezing Nino tightly before pulling away. "Probably, but I need to tell you before I chicken out." She bites her lip and wrings her hands together, hesitating.

"You're leaving school, aren't you?" Nino asks quietly, taking Marinette's hand in his. It's more for his sake than hers; he needs an anchor.

Marinette looks at him in surprise, before nodding slowly, guilty expression becoming even more pronounced. "I'm so, so sorry, Nino."

It's Nino's turn to look at her in surprise, and he lets out a laugh in confusion. "Why are you sorry? This is a good thing." Marinette tilts her head, frowning, and he shrugs. "Don't get me wrong, I'm going to miss you, obviously, but you're getting out. You breaking the cycle of . . . I mean it's not really abuse, but at times it feels pretty close to it."

"Neglect is a type of abuse, and there are certainly times where our teachers have neglected the 'good' students in favour of the 'bad' ones in the hope that they'll learn by example."

They both roll their eyes at this statement, thinking about the biggest supporter of that advice: Ms Bustier. She's a good teacher, but a terrible role model.

"I'm gonna miss you so much." Marinette splutters, the tears in her eyes spilling over and falling down her cheeks.

Seeing Marinette start to cry, Nino loses his cool and his own eyes immediately fill. "M–Me too."

Ignoring the ridiculous rules of society that say boys and girls who aren't in a romantic relationship can't hug in public, he clings onto her and buries his face in her neck, his tears finally falling when she flings her own arms around him, holding on just as tightly as he is.

Eventually they both stop crying, but neither make a move to release their hold on the other. It's only when the tears on their cheeks start to get itchy that they pull away to wipe their eyes, smiling at each other sadly as they do so.

"Which school are you going to?"

"Actually I'm doing online school for the rest of the year until we go to lycée."

Nino hums in understanding. "Are you going to, um . . . what's the name of the lycée that's attached to Françoise Dupont?" Marinette shrugs, the name of the local lycée escaping her. "Well, I've been thinking it over and I've decided not to go there."

Marinette blinks in surprise before her shoulders slump and she sighs in relief, a smile splitting her face in two. "Thank God! I thought I was the only one!"

Nino's face breaks out in a grin and he bounces on the soles of his feet in excitement. "Wait, really? Which one were you thinking of going to?"

"The lycée on the other side of the Notre Dame, the one that focuses more on the creative arts rather than the sciences."

"OM_G_," Nino says, which reveals how excited he is (since he only ever doesn't say 'Oh my God' when he's _super_ excited). "_That's the same one I'm thinking of_!"

The scream they both let out, purely due to excitement, attracts the attention of everyone within hearing range (which is further away than would be assumed), but neither of them care as Marinette tackles Nino in a hug that sends the two of them to the ground.

They both agree that, for once, Harry Potter isn't needed on a day of a crisis. And that they're pretty sure they're deaf now.


	42. Background Noise

**Chapter Forty Two – Background Noise**

"_Ow_!" Marinette cries as Nino tugs on her hair sharply.

He winces on her behalf. "Sorry. I'm trying to be gentle." He pulls her hair again as he crosses the left over the right, and she cringes, biting her lip so she doesn't cry out again. She keeps biting her lip for the next two painful minutes before Nino finally ties her plait off with a cheerful cry of '_Done_!'

He moves around her so he's no longer sitting beside her on her chaise and watches eagerly as she pulls her twin plaits over her shoulders to look at them. Even though they're already half–fallen out, and the hair tie isn't tight enough, and one is _definitely_ bigger than the other, and the three sections of hair used for each plait are noticeably uneven, it's pretty good for a first attempt.

"Do I look pretty?" She asks, putting her hands together, like she's preying, against her cheek and tilting her head, hitting Nino with a _dazzling_ smile.

Nino snorts. "Yep. Totally. Adrien's not gonna know what hit him." Marinette giggles, getting up to look at the plaits in her mirror. "What's the deal with you two? Are you going out?" He lifts his feet onto the chaise and stretches them out in front of him, wriggling his sock–covered feet.

"No," She pulls the hair ties free and starts untangling her hair from the plaits Nino made. "Why do you ask?"

"'Cause I'm not blind?" He grins at her innocently and she gives him an unimpressed look. "I can't believe sunshine hasn't asked you out yet." Nino continues, watching as Marinette destroys his work, now brushing her hair. "You have to tell me the second he does. Or make him tell me. Or just both of you tell me. Actually, can I be there when he does? I definitely want to be there so that way I can take pictures and tease you about it endlessly and–"

"Nino," She cuts him off, giggling as her cheeks flush in embarrassment. "He hasn't asked me. And I haven't seen any signs that he's going too."

That's not true, obviously, but Nino doesn't know Adrien's Cat Noir or that she's Ladybug, and she's also not about to tell him that they kissed (not that it was the best kiss anyway, since it basically set off her panic attack) or that they can't be in love because she _can't_ fight Cat Blanc again.

"Come on," She chucks his shoes at him before grabbing her school bag from her desk. "We're going to be late."

"Eh," Nino waves his hand dismissively, pulling on his shoes without undoing the laces. He jumps to his feet and grabs his own school bag from the floor. "It's not like it would be the first time."

"True," Marinette agrees, giggling.

Despite the fact that Nino arrived over an hour earlier to take Marinette to school – with extra time for croissant eating and for Marinette to change out of her pyjamas – they walk through the school doors just as the bell goes, and join the crowd moving towards the classrooms. Today they have Ms Mendeleiev, then recess, then Ms Bustier, then lunch followed by two 'study' periods where they can go home if they want to. _Not a bad last day_, Marinette muses, following Nino up the stairs to Ms Mendeleiev's classroom.

"Mari! Nino!" Adrien calls and they both look up, seeing their little ray of sunshine moving against the crowd to get to them from down the hallway, having been waiting outside for them. "I was starting to think that you weren't coming." He grins at them, sharing a fist bump with Nino before kissing Marinette's cheek.

Marinette glares at the massive grin Nino has on his face, trying to hide her own embarrassment, before returning the gesture with Adrien, reminding herself that they are French and this is what they do. It doesn't mean he's falling in love with her. Like she's pretty much forbidden him from doing.

"We lost track of time." She tells Adrien.

"Doing what?" Adrien loops his arm through hers and they follow the last few stragglers – not from their class – down the hallway.

"Lahiffe Hair Designs," Nino says, making a face that's supposed to look dignified but just looks like he's a sad clown. "It's an up and coming new business. Right Mar–Bear?" He nudges her arm.

"It needs work," She tells Adrien, ignoring Nino's mock–affronted '_hey_!'. "Quiet now, we're entering the dragon's lair."

They muffle their giggles behind their hands and step into the classroom, muttering their apologies for being late as they find their seats. They don't have time to talk as Ms Mendeleiev jumps right into the lesson and demands the classes full attention.

She puts two stacks of textbooks on each front desk and instructions for them to be passed to the back, with everyone taking one each. Adrien winks at Marinette as he passes the stack back to her, and she scrunches her nose playfully, earning a barely muffled snort form the blond. The rest of the class is a blur as they get stuck into their work, occasionally reading aloud from the textbook, and copying the notes from the board into their notebooks.

Lila complains that she's having trouble writing the notes because she sprained her wrist giving a small child CPR over the weekend (because, _why not_?) and perhaps _someone_ up the front could copy her notes for her (the _Marinette_ is implied), but Ms Mendeleiev is having none of it and says that the rest of the class are busy writing their own notes, and if she's sprained her wrist and is unable to write notes at school, then she should've brought in a doctor's note.

Lila's still fuming twenty minutes later when the bell goes for the end of first period and Ms Mendeleiv takes the textbooks back in favour of instructing everyone on how to do the coloured celery experiment, which they will need to write the practical report for while they wait for the dye to set into the celery. The result of this is Alix and Kim flicking the dyed water at each other, trying to stain the other's clothes, and Max saying that surely there's something more difficult that they could do instead, like Pasteur's swan neck flask experiment, which Ms Mendeleiev is quick to point out they will be doing next year in lycée during their biology unit.

"Look! It's working!" Adrien exclaims, pointing at the celery stalk through the beaker glass.

Marinette, Alya and Nino (Adrien's partners, since they've been put into groups of four – or three, in Rose, Juleka and Lila's case) lean forward to see where Adrien's pointing. Sure enough the dye has started making its way up through the celery stalk to the leaves.

"Cool," Nino says, with noticeably less enthusiasm. Like Marinette, he too has a lack of love for the sciences. Also, he's pretty sure this is a waste of celery. "Do we have anything to talk about?" He asks, looking back at his notebook where he's at the end of his report, the last heading being 'discussions'.

Marinette shrugs, twirling her pen around and around. She, too, is up to the last heading. "I don't think so. There's not much _to_ talk about."

"I know what we can talk about, girl." Alya says, turning to Marinette and wriggling her eyebrows.

Marinette raises an eyebrow and gives her a deadpanned look. "If it has something to do with the male sex organ, I don't want to hear it."

Adrien chokes on his breath and Nino snorts, patting Adrien's back as he coughs, but he doesn't take his eyes off of his childhood friend and girlfriend.

"Plus," Marinette continues, tearing her eyes from Alya's to look at Adrien in concern. He turns around in his seat, resting his arm on her desk, and looks up at her, tears in his eyes from coughing, and smiles. "Now isn't the time or place."

Alya huffs, crossing her arms and sitting back in her seat, clearly not impressed. "When _is_ the time and place? We haven't hung out properly in months."

Marinette doesn't point out that that isn't entirely her fault, or that Alya hasn't been the nicest as of late. "Not in school, and definitely not in the middle of class." Marinette says, before turning back to her notebook.

"We can talk at recess then," Alya says, her tone a little condescending, not happy with the way their conversation has gone.

"Didn't you say that you and Mari were going to practice your speech at recess?" Nino says to Adrien.

"I did?" Adrien asks, frowning at his friend. Nino's eyes flick to Marinette pointedly and Adrien's eyes widen as he gets what Nino's saying. "Oh, right, I did. Yeah. Sorry Alya." He smiles at her politely and is met with narrowed eyes.

"You know," Alya says, turning to Marinette. The smile she suddenly has on her face is out of place after her previous mood. "You've been spending a lot of time around _my_ boyfriend lately, and I think we're overdue for some girl time." She grins at Marinette and nudges her side, making Mariette flinch and slash her pen across her page. Alya looks at Adrien and gives him that funny smile again. "You had all weekend to do the speech. Nino and I have finished it so M and you will be fine. Plus," She turns back to Marinette – who is staring at her blankly – and smirks. "You need to fill me in on how you and your boyfriend are going."

Adrien and Marinette's eyes widen at the same time and Nino snorts at the twin expressions on their faces.

"Excuse me?" Marinette asks, frowning.

"Luka. Your _boyfriend_." Alya gives her an annoyed look.

Groaning, Marinette drops her face into her hands and shakes her head, rolling her eyes. "Luka and I are not going out, we never went out, and we will never go out." She raises her eyebrows in a 'do you get it _now_' way. "And yes, I have told him as much."

Alya gapes at her, before she frowns and leans towards her, poking her breastbone accusingly. "Why didn't you tell me earlier!" She hisses. "I thought we told each other everything! That's what best friends do!"

Marinette blinks at her in surprise, before her expression drops and she leans back from Alya, hunching her shoulders as if to hide from her. "Best friends are supposed to believe each other, too." She says quietly.

Nino inhales sharply, his eyes flicking between the girls. Somehow, despite their conversation being mostly quiet, they have attracted the attention of the rest of the class and now all eyes are on them. Beside him, Adrien shifts slightly and his hand slides closer to Marinette's, but he hesitates taking it. He's surprised that Ms Mendeleiev hasn't put a stop to their conversation yet, since she hates when non–topic conversations occur in her class.

Nino expects Alya's face to crumple or for her to apologise for believing Lila, but instead she rolls her eyes and scoffs.

"You're not still on that, are you? I _apologised_. It won't happen _again_. It's not like it was anything bad anyway, she just lied about knowing some celebrities and told some stories, it's not a big deal. Just let it go, already. Forgive and forget, or whatever. _God_." She rolls her eyes again and sits back in her seat, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

Alya's words ring in Marinette's head, but all she can hear is Lila's voice coming out of the Ladyblogger. When did this happen? How did she not notice? She knows that Alya's always been pushy with her, trying to get her to do things she's not ready for (case and point with every plan to get her and Adrien together), and she does know she was impatient and annoyed when Marinette inevitably failed, but she always brushed it off as Alya just wanting what's best for her. Wanting her to be happy.

Alya is Marinette's best friend, her first _real_ friend. When they first became friends Marinette was so sure that as soon as Alya became friends with the rest of the class she would dump Marinette for them, so she tried everything she could to keep that friendship. Even if it meant doing things she didn't particularly _want_ to do. So Marinette sacrificed her own happiness and pushed her anxiety to the surface to appease the Ladyblogger, because she couldn't lose her, didn't want to lose her. And Marinette thought that Alya didn't want to lose her either.

But if Alya didn't want to lose her, and if Alya actually is her best friend, why did she push her away? Criticise her? Diminish her? Why did she choose Lila over her? What did Marinette do to lose Alya's trust, if she ever had it in the first place?

"'_Not a big deal_'?" Nino repeats, voice growing loud in his anger. He kneels on his seat and puts his hands on Alya's desk, frowning at her in disappointment as all Marinette can do is sit there in silence and try not to cry. "Come on Alya, you know as well as I do that what Lila did was a _huge_ deal! The _biggest_ deal! There will never _be_ a bigger deal!"

Alya meets Nino's gaze and glares at him. "Stop standing up for her. She's a big girl; she can stand up for herself if she wants to. Besides," She looks back at her phone as if finding the whole exchange boring and beneath her. "It's not like you ever stood up for her before."

Nino has never been a violent guy, and he never wants to be. He learnt firsthand from his father how _not_ to treat people, and he's spent his whole life trying to be a better person than his father could ever _dream_ of being. But right now, looking at his girlfriend, he wishes he could make her feel just an _ounce_ of pain that her statement has made him feel.

"At least _I_ never abandoned her." His voice is quiet, but it's sharp enough to cut glass.

Fire flashes in Alya's eyes and she leans forward, fingers clenching around her phone. "I didn't _abandon_ her. _She_ abandoned _me_." She switches her glare to Marinette, who looks at her with glazed over eyes. Adrien notices that her hands have begun to tremble and he takes hers, squeezing to let her know he's there. "Why didn't you tell me Lila's a liar."

"She did." Nino says, squeezing the top of the desk so hard his knuckles turn white. "_You_ didn't listen. You _never_ listen. Not if it's something you don't want to hear. As soon as it goes against whatever idea you have in your mind you block it out and stop listening, even if there's hard evidence against it."

Alya turns her gaze back to him and for a second it's like he's looking at his father, standing up to him, only this time he's in a classroom with a teacher who _should be helping_ but isn't instead of blocking his father's path to his mother, in a house that could never, _ever_ be a home.

"How can you say tha–" Alya starts to say, but Nino cuts her off.

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?" He asks, only now his question – and his gaze – are directed at the back of the classroom where Lila's been taking everything in, sardonic little grin etched into her face. "For someone to listen to you, hear what you want them to hear, bow down to you?"

Lila shrugs, as if this has nothing to do with her. And she's right. It doesn't. This time it's all on Alya, because despite knowing that Lila's a liar and seeing what she did to Marinette, she's still not willing to admit fault.

Nino's gaze drops back to Alya's and for a second his expression softens, but hers doesn't. If anything, she looks even angrier, even more annoyed. "You've changed a lot." He tells her.

In the background the bell goes but no one moves. Classroom doors open and voices filter through the hallways as the students make their way to the courtyard, but it's all just background noise.

"What are you getting at Nino?" Alya asks quietly, but she doesn't lose the rage. She doesn't apologise. She doesn't see what she did wrong.

Nino shrugs and drops back in his seat, holding her gaze. Around them, everyone, including Ms Mendeleiev, holds their breaths.

In the end, neither say anything. They don't have to. They know. Everyone around them knows. Nothing has to be said because there's nothing left to say. They're two different people now. They fell in love and they grew up and grew out of each other. It's a tragedy, really, but so are most love stories. It'll be okay though, because Alya has her version of the truth, the one that works for her, and Nino has Marinette and Adrien and Harry Potter.

It'll be okay. And so will they.


	43. Last Day

**Chapter Forty Three – Last Day**

Leaving Adrien to comfort (distract) Nino, Marinette goes to the art room to tell Nathaniel and Marc that this is her last day. They're understanding, of course, and abide by her wishes to not tell anyone because she doesn't want to deal with a fuss from the class – especially after the disaster that was second period. Marinette's original plan was to hang out with them for longer, but seeing as Nino is in such an emotional state she promises to keep in touch before making her retreat.

She finds them in the library, huddled in the religious section, and with Adrien trying to show Nino some funny videos on his phone. Nino, for his part, doesn't tell Adrien to fuck off and find Harry Potter, and instead humours him and watches the videos, despite having no interest in any of them. Hearing Marinette arrive, he looks up and manages a small smile.

"How'd it go?" He pats the spot beside him and she sits down instantly, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He sinks into her, letting out a big sigh.

"About as well as can be expected." She squeezes him tightly before releasing him, although he doesn't move away from her and rests his head on her shoulder, curling into her side.

Smiling at Adrien – who's realised his videos aren't working and has put his phone away – she takes Nino's hand and entwines their fingers, before opening the Harry Potter book she snagged from a shelf on the way over.

"'Chapter one: Owl Post. Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy . . .'"

She manages to get halfway through the second chapter of _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_ before the bell goes, at which point Nino has begun to feel better and Adrien is just as obsessed with Harry Potter as the two of them are (they make a note to have a Harry Potter marathon at some point in the future, since he hasn't seen the movies since they first came out in theatre which is a crime in itself).

Ms Bustier must've heard what happened earlier, because she doesn't question when Alya hands in the USB containing their video presentation and the piece of paper with their speech instead of doing the presentation. She also doesn't say that the fact they have chosen (well, Alya has chosen, since she didn't actually ask Nino if he wanted to go through with it or not) not to present will have any effect on their mark. Marinette wouldn't be surprised if they actually gained a mark or two because of the 'emotional turmoil' that has faced them, despite the fact that the assignment was finished beforehand.

Juleka, Rose and Lila are first to go, followed by Sabrina and Chloé – who actually did some of the work herself rather than leaving it all up to Sabrina – then Marinette and Adrien go. Their presentation is mediocre at best, since they, like everyone in the class, are emotionally drained from this morning. They get a muted applause when they finish and return to their seats for Max and Alix to do their presentation (they also made a video, and Marinette overhears Nino say something to Adrien about their editing skills, so she knows that he really is doing better), followed by Ivan and Mylène, then finally Kim and Nathaniel, who finish just before the bell goes for the beginning of lunch.

"That's it." Adrien says, turning to look back at Marinette.

She smiles and nods eagerly, glad that her time at Françoise Dupont has finally come to an end, but before she can say anything someone clears their throat and taps Adrien on the shoulder, drawing his attention away from the girl behind him.

Lila gives him a sickenly sweet smile and puts her hand not still on Adrien's shoulder on Marinette's desk, leaning her weight against it. "We should get going, sweetie. We don't want to be late." She tries to grab his hand to pull him out of his seat, but he moves it away from her and shuffles along the seat, closer to Nino.

"What are you talking about?" He glances at Marinette quickly, as if she'd know what Lila's on about, but she just looks back at him and shrugs.

"We have a meeting with your father. He probably wants to see how our relationship is going, and maybe wants to discuss a press conference or inter–"

"We don't have a relationship, Lila." Adrien rolls his eyes.

Because Lila's blocking his way out of his seat, He waits for Nino to get up before sliding across the seat and leaving that way. Marinette does the same, seeing as Alya left as soon as the bell rung, and he takes her hand in his, matching Lila's gaze head on.

"And I don't have a meeting with Father. _If_ you have one, then it's alone and I wish you luck." Not sparing her another glance, he turns to his friends and smiles genuinely. "Where are we going for lunch?"

"Mum and Dad want to take us out to celebrate." Marinette says as they make their way out of the classroom, leaving Lila behind them. She smiles at them nervously and squeezes Adrien's hand. "If you want to, that is." Before Adrien can answer, Nino beats him to it.

"A free lunch with my two favourite people? Of course I'm in!"

Marinette giggles, looping her free arm through Nino's so they make a human chain. "Great! Since you two have the rest of the day off too, maybe we can play some Ultimate Mecha Strike or watch a movie or something."

"Watch a movie," Adrien says straight away. "You and video games are not a relaxing combination."

As they reach the stairs there's some students coming up them so they break their hold on each other and walk down single file. When they reach the courtyard, Mr Damocles calls out to Marinette from the steps to his office. They pause and look towards him, watching as he waves at them as he descends the stairs.

"He's going to try and save face, isn't he?" Nino says to her quietly, and she nods, crossing her arms and meeting Mr Damocles' gaze with a blank stare.

"You don't have to listen to him if you don't want to. Technically he isn't your principle anymore." Adrien says, but she shakes her head.

"He's my principle until the end of the day, and he's still an adult. I have to listen to him, but that doesn't mean I have to do as he says." She goes quiet again when Mr Damocles approaches, nervous smile in place.

"Miss Dupain–Cheng," He greets, coming to a stop just in front of them with his hands behind his back. "I am glad I caught you."

Marinette has half a mind to point out that it seems more like he was waiting for her, but she stays quiet.

"I wanted to say how sorry I am that you have chosen to leave Françoise Dupont, and that I hope you have enjoyed your time here." His smile turns even more forced as he glances around him nervously, looking at all of the students who are looking on in interest. As the meaning of his words set in, a murmur goes through the small crowd and their faces range from disbelief and confusion to understanding. "You are a top student and I am sure that you will go far in–"

"If Marinette's a 'top student', why did you expel her after one child's claims?" Chloé's voice cuts across the crowd as she marches out of the cafeteria.

Her voice must've drifted back inside the cafeteria, because a moment later their classmates follow her and join the crowd.

"Did you even look into the security tapes? Question why Marinette would cheat on a _mock_ exam that doesn't even go towards our final mark? Call an ambulance because she apparently pushed someone – who had no visible injuries besides from a bandage on the _outside_ of her pants leg – down a flight of stairs?" She arrives at Marinette's side – pushing Nino behind her slightly in the process – and slings an arm around Marinette's neck much to the shorter girl's surprise.

"U–U–Um, w–w–well, I–I–I, u–uh–" Mr Damocles stutters, suddenly looking very flustered as he glances around at the swarms of students around him, taking in all of their shocked and disbelieving faces.

Chloé scoffs and rolls her eyes, putting her free hand on her hip. "No, you didn't, because you found it easier to expel one child rather than launch an investigation into the other's claims. Ridiculous, _utterly_ ridiculous!" She turns to Marinette and says in a voice meant for everyone to hear, "No wonder you're leaving this sorry excuse for a school!"

The students around them descend into chaos as they launch questions at Mr Damocles and Marinette and each other, all of which go unanswered as Mr Damocles has begun making a hasty retreat to his office and Marinette is more focused on the blonde girl beside her.

"How do you know?" She asks, raising her voice slightly over the noise of their peers. "I only told Nathaniel, Marc, Adrien and Nino."

Chloé smirks and releases her hold on Marinette, fluffing up her hair as if it's out of place. "Does it matter? I just saved your arse from the moron pretending to be a principle, you should be down on your knees thanking me."

Marinette smiles fondly and shakes her head. "Thank you, Chloé."

Chloé's cheeks flush slightly but she waves her hands dismissively. "All in a day's work of being Queen Bee."

Nino opens his mouth to point out that she isn't Queen Bee anymore, but thinks better of it when he sees how happy Chloé is right now. Plus, it wouldn't really benefit anyone by having him point out something everyone, including Chloé, already knows.

She pulls her lip balm out of her purse and starts applying it to her lips. "So where are you going for school?"

Marinette tells her of her plan to be home school until lycée, and then which lycée she's going to.

"That's the one near Notre Dame, right?" Chloé questions and the three of them nod. "I'm going there too." She scrunches up her nose. "Maybe. Either that one or an elite privet school. Where are you going Adrikins?"

Adrien shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets. The students around them have begun to disperse, although some still remain, trying to not–so–subtly eavesdrop. He can see that their classmates are engaged in some kind of whisper battle amongst themselves, and that has captured most of the student's attention.

"It depends where Father wants me to go. Nathalie says we'll sit down and look at lycées over the next few weeks, and that she'll take my preferences into account."

Chloé nods in understanding, her expression softening at the mention of his father (she knows as well as he does how controlling Gabriel is). She looks back at Marinette and smiles. "Maybe I'll see you at lycée, then?"

"Maybe," Acting half on impulse she steps forward and hugs the blonde. Chloé stiffens at first, before she relaxes somewhat and returns the gesture, patting Marinette's back awkwardly until the shorter girl lets her go. "Would you like to join us for lunch? We're celebrating my escape." Nino snorts at Marinette's (accurate) description.

"I wouldn't want to impose. Also, can your parents even afford to feed any more people?" Chloé crosses her arms and inspects her nails.

Marinette doesn't take offence to her statement, recognising the defence mechanism. "I'm sure they could duck into their savings for one more meal. Come on, it'll be fun." She smiles at Chloé hopefully, grin widening as Chloé's resistance begins to wane.

"Fine," Chloé huffs, putting her hands on her hips. "But I am _not_ eating in any restaurant or café that has a lower rating than four stars. That would be ridiculous, utterly–"

"_Ridiculous_?" Adrien, Nino and Marinette chime, smiling sweetly at the blonde.

She glares at the three of them, but it only lasts for second before she has to turn away so they don't see her smile. "You're so lame."

"Is that why you're hanging out with us?" Nino questions, wrapping an arm around Marinette's waist in a side hug before starting to usher them towards the exit before their classmates can ambush them. "Because you're so lame too?"

Chloé looks at him sharply, glare back to full force, and she points a finger at him, holding it so close to his face that when he looks at it, he goes cross–eyed. "Don't push it, turtle boy."


	44. Memories

**Chapter Forty Four – Memories**

Marinette chews on her lip, glancing between the class photo and her rubbish bin. Contemplating if this is the right thing, the good thing, the wrong thing. Will she regret throwing it away? Will she regret keeping it? Will she regret taking it down? Will it form a permanent divide between her old classmates and herself?

She can hear Tikki's soft snores from where she's sleeping in the little alcove above Marinette's bed, and she can imagine Wayzz's and the other kwamis' laughter from inside the miracle box. Her gaze washes over the phonograph and she sighs, thinking about its original owner.

What would Master Fu do? Would he hold onto the photo, hold onto the memory of a simpler time? This is the only photo she still has up of anyone from her old class. Now the only photo on her wall (excluding the ones of family) is the one of her and Kagami when they got orange juice. She has others though; others that she will put up once she figures out what to do with the class one.

Glancing between the photo and the rubbish bin again, she makes up her mind and opens one of the draws on her desk, tucking the photo inside underneath some old designs she's already made. She might not want the constant reminder of what she lost when she looks at her walls, but she's also not ready to part with it just yet. Who knows, perhaps it will get to a point where she really can forgive and forget, like Alya said? She doubts it, but you never know. A lifetime is an awful amount of days, and even more moments: a lot could happen in that time.

Picking up the two photos she printed earlier, she grabs her sticky tape dispenser and climbs up to her bed. One of the photos is the one of her and Nino taken the day before the pregnancy rumour started. Even though it's on his Instagram and she can look at it whenever she wants (and whenever she has wifi), she would prefer to be able to see it every day and remember that he's always there for her, no matter what. Just like she's there for him.

The other photo is from earlier that day at lunch. Sabine insisted on getting a photo of Marinette, Adrien, Nino and Chloé to commemorate the occasion (and Marinette's Escape, which has become the official title of her last day at Françoise Dupont), so before their meals arrived the boys jumped up quickly to stand behind the girls chairs, and they all flashed big, genuine grins at Sabine's phone, laughing at the actions Tom was making behind her to make them laugh.

Sabine turned around in time to catch him with his eyes crossed and tongue pocking out, doing jazz hands on either side of Sabine's head, and that earned him an elbow to the ribs, which didn't actually hurt him but he sure as hell pretended it did.

Smiling at the new photos on her wall, she sits back on her bed and pulls the covers over herself, leaning back against the pillows. Taking her Ancient Chinese to Mandarin and her Mandarin to French translation books from the alcove, she flicks through both until she finds where she's up to. After several months of slowly translating the Miraculous spell book (or at least the pictures of the spell book) and as a result learning Mandarin, she has gotten to the point where there are times that she doesn't really need the Mandarin to French translation book – although she still likes to have it handy, just in case.

She's halfway through a translation when there's a distinct _thump_ on her balcony, instantly followed by insistent knocking on her skylight that borderlines desperate. Knowing that there's only one person who can get onto her balcony, she rolls her eyes fondly and puts the books back, knowing she won't get much else done tonight.

"It's open," She calls, putting the books back in place. She turns back around as the skylight opens and then Cat Noir's jumping through and landing in front of her in a crouch, his hands gripping her upper arms and manic grin splitting his face in two.

"Milady!" He cries, and she dimly thinks that that was the rection she was expecting when he first discovered her identity (at least, that's how she always imagined it). "You will _never guess_ what Father just told me!"

"Uh–"

"Guess, _guess_, _guessguessguessguess_!" He cries, visibly vibrating in his excitement.

"Uh–"

"He _fired_ Lila!" He cries, unable to wait another second.

Marinette blinks in surprise, still trying to wrap her head around what Cat just said, when he releases his transformation, leaving him in his pyjamas with an equally happy kwami at his side.

"It was the _best_," Plagg tells her, darting forward to nuzzle into her cheek in greeting. "You should've been there to see Adrien's face! You know I never really liked Gabriel, but he's starting on grow on me." With that, he gives them a cheeky grin before curling up next to Tikki, seemingly content to sleep there.

"He fired her?" Marinette asks, turning back to Adrien.

He nods happily, crawling forward to climb under the covers with her. They manoeuvre themselves so they're laying down, and seeing as their kwamis are sleeping, she turns the light off. Thanks to the skylight, there's still just enough light that they can see each other, but not enough that she can distinctly make out his features as clearly as when the light is on.

"Yep," He says, popping the 'p'. "Do you remember that meeting that Lila mentioned at lunch today?" She nods and he grins once again. "Well, it was with her and her mother, and Nathalie had told Father what she had done to you and she had arranged a meeting, and Father told Mrs Rossi and Lila that Lila is no longer going to model for _Gabriel_ and that her contract has been ceased and that a lot of the other staff members have made complaints about her – apparently I'm not the only one she gets too, uh, _handsy_ with – and so Father fired her and told her that if he hears about her coming near me or you again he will file for a restraining order."

"Wait, what?" Marinette frowns and props herself up on and elbow so she's looking down at him. "A _restraining order_?"

"Uh–huh." He finds her shoulder and urges her to lay down again, this time with his arms around her, and she curls into his side, wrapping her arm around his waist in a hug as she rests her head on his chest. "He also mentioned some sexual assault and harassment charges, but I think that was just to save face and frighten her after not doing anything about it for so long."

"She _assaulted_ you?" Anger laces Marinette's words and Adrien shrugs, pressing his nose into her hair and inhaling her scent.

"It was never anything bad, per se. She didn't, like, touch my privet parts or try to walk in on me changing. The worse thing she'd do was try to kiss me, but after Chloé I've gotten pretty good at avoiding those." He rests his cheek against the top of her head and lets out a long sigh.

"Chloé's gotten better about that."

He hums in agreement, hugging her tighter against him. "Yeah. She can still be clingy, but I think she's come to the realisation that she doesn't actually like me like that."

"You already knew she doesn't?" Marinette questions, letting her eyes close as they grow heavy. It's not actually that late – it's only a little after nine – but it's been yet another long, emotional day.

"Yes and no. I always had a feeling she doesn't really like guys that way. She never mentioned having crushes on one, but she'd talk about other girls a lot more. Like, celebrities and stuff. And there was some girl she liked when we were little that she talked about all the time."

He stops talking and they lapse into silence, before Marinette pulls away from him, rolling onto her other side to go to sleep. Adrien hesitates a moment before curling up against her and putting an arm around her waist. She tenses, eyes opening again, and he stills, sliding his hand back from her stomach to the bottom of her ribcage – which he can feel all the nooks and crannies of beneath his fingers.

"Is this okay?" He whispers.

At first her only reply is her breathing, but then she rolls over to face him.

"I don't want to fight Cat Blanc again."

Adrien swallows nervously and hugs her closer to him, although he keeps their faces apart so they can still talk. "You won't. I won't let you."

She sighs through her nose and reaches a hand up to fiddle with the collar of his shirt. "I don't think it's up to you."

Adrien shakes his head hastily and grips the material of her pyjama shirt in his grasp as if to stop her from pulling away. "It's not up to you either, unless you actually are secretly Hawk Moth." He smiles at her, but she doesn't react to his joke.

"Do you remember when Master Fu passed the miracle box onto me?" She purses her lips and keeps her gaze on her hand fiddling with his collar.

Confused as to where this has come from and where she's going with it, he frowns but still nods. "Of course."

"And you remember he lost his memories?"

Adrien freezes and his blood runs cold. _Oh_. _That's where she's going_, he thinks, swallowing against the sudden lump in his throat. "Yes." His voice comes out thick with emotion and she shuffles closer to him, sliding a knee in between his. Their torsos are now in contact and he can feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breaths against his, but this time it's not as mesmerising or has the same effect on him. "I do."

Releasing a long sigh, Marinette meets his gaze and forces the tears in her eyes to stay put and for her voice to remain steady. "I'm going to lose my memories, Adrien. I'm going to forget who you are and who I am and what we have or don't have, and I'm never going to remember. And I'm not about to put you through the pain of losing me."

"I won't be losing you," He says, but even he knows that's a lie.

It's possible that after she passes on the miracle box they will be like Master Fu and Marianne and she'll fall in love with him again and they'll ride off into the sunset on a train, but it could also be that that will be it. They won't be together. She'll lose her memories so she won't miss him because she doesn't remember him to miss him, and he'll have his memories and her memories and he'll have a constant ache inside of him for her and for the future they lost just like he has for his mother, and he will never, _ever_ lose that ache. Ever.

"I know it's hard," She tells him, sliding her arms around him in a hug and holding on tightly. "But it's my job to protect the miracle box and if it means losing everything when I can no longer do so, I would much rather minimise the amount of hurt I cause."

Shaking his head, he returns her embrace and hides his face in her hair. "But that's not going to be for ages." He sniffs, squeezing his eyes closed so his tears don't escape.

Marinette shrugs sadly. "Maybe, maybe not. It could happen tomorrow or the next day or fifty years from now. Either way I'm going to forget." Her voice cracks and she swallows, wiping the tear running down her cheek away using Adrien's shoulder.

"So what do you want to do?" Adrien wants his voice to be emotionless, for just once to sound like his father, but instead it comes out full of tears and accompanying a sob.

Marinette shakes her head and buries her face in his neck. "I don't know. I just want to be like this for a while." She clutches him tighter.

"And nothing more?" He asks sadly, already knowing the answer.

He's known her answer for a while now that even if she _does_ return his feelings (which he knows she does, thanks to Nino and the reveal of identities and all the puzzle pieces falling into place) they're going to stay the same. They're going to be Adrien and Marinette; Cat Noir and Ladybug; partners in crime fighting and best friends in all of eternity. Him and her against the world.

"We can't be anything more. It wouldn't be fair to you."

That makes Adrien stop and he leans back from her to look her in the eye. "'Fair to me'? How about fair to _you_? You're the one who's forced to give everything up and keep people away from you with a ten–metre pole. You didn't ask for that."

Marinette swallows nervously and avoids his gaze. "I didn't, but I also didn't _not_ ask for it. I never told Master Fu that I didn't want to be the next guardian, or that I didn't want to be Ladybug. I never said anything, and that isn't fair to _him_." She meets his gaze again and bites her lip.

"Still," Adrien mutters, but he has nothing else to say. He can't think of what else there possibly _is_ to say, or what he could say to make this all better. "Let's not think about this right now." He says, forcing a smile and blinking his tears away. "Let's just be us. Partners in crime fighting."

"Ladybug and Cat Noir," She murmurs, her own smile gracing her lips. At the sight of it, his softens and turns genuine, and he rests his forehead against hers. "No matter what happens and what the future has in store for us."

"Always." His rubs his nose against hers in an Eskimo kiss and she giggles.

"Is that a _Harry Potter_ reference?"

"Maybe?" He grins cheekily.

"You're a dork."

"Yeah. You know what else I am?"

She raises and eyebrow at him, trying to morph her face into a deadpanned expression but her lips refuse to cooperate and stop smiling. "My knight in shining leather?"

Adrien hums, sliding his hand from around her back momentarily to push her hair back from her face. "No. I'm your superhero Godcat."

She groans and rolls her eyes, hiding her face in his chest as he laughs at her reaction. "You're terrible."

"You love me."

"Yeah, I do."


	45. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story. Just like with my first story, 'I'm much more me when I'm with you', this story didn't have a plan. To be honest, it didn't even really have a middle or an ending either.

As those who were here at the very beginning know, I didn't have much more than the initial idea of what this story would be about, and I quickly lost motivation for writing and finishing it, which lead to me writing a rushed ending to get it over with (hence the 'STORY CONTINUATION/UPDATE from Chapter 25' in the description – which I will delete now that I have actually finished the story). However, a couple of weeks after I 'finished' the story, I got new motivation and began writing it again, which lead to nineteen more chapters and this author's note.

The original idea for this story was for it to be about Marinette's struggle with becoming the guardian and the emotional turmoil that she was under, and _maybe_ showing a slow transition of Adrien falling for Marinette through getting to know her and helping her as Cat Noir.

This wasn't going to be an uncovering Lila's lies story, it was going to be a Marinette struggling with being the guardian story. However, it ended up being an uncovering Lila's lies story when I realised how out of character it would be for Marinette to simply give up and change schools. At the same time, however, I didn't want to go for a public uncovering of lies like I did in 'I'm much more me when I'm with you', and instead wanted to go with just a Ms Bustier's class (and Ms Mendeleiev's, apparently) uncovering of Lila's lies so the ones who are directly impacted learnt the truth first and foremost.

This is where Chloé came in, and I genuinely believe that Chloé's reasoning for doing so (along with the underlying message that she does care about Marinette, she's just not about to admit it) fits in with her character, as Chloé is an attention–seeking, manipulator, and Lila is the same, to a higher and more dangerous degree, so it would make sense for Chloé to want to remove Lila from the spotlight by calling her out.

Having Chloé be the one who calls Lila out on her lies also takes the spotlight off of Marinette, although I did manage to get Lila to prove to the class that she was lying herself in a way that wasn't exactly noticeable (the section of that chapter – chapter 21, You're Too Good – just before the class start going off on Lila, Lila referred to Chloé as one of Marinette's friends, which the whole class knew to not be true, and is why it wasn't until then that they started berating her), which I believe is what is going to happen in the show when Lila's lies are uncovered for real.

To be honest the second half of the story (the 'story continuation/update' part) was all improvised and I didn't have an initial plan for where it was going, only that I knew I had more to add and ends to tie up and things that I wanted to happen to develop the characters more.

There are still some loose ends within the story – the classes reaction after they realise Marinette isn't coming back, the pregnancy rumour, the aftermath of Alya and Nino's break up – and there are also several other ideas that I want to write that tie in with the story, however to do so would make a very long story, so instead I have decided to end this one on as good a note as I can and create a sequel.

The sequel is called 'Beautiful Chaos' and should be out right after this author's note has been posted. If not, then it will be up in a day or two. It won't be immediately following the timeline of Superhero Godcat and will instead be a couple of months down the line after school has ended and before Marinette starts lycée. This is mostly due to the fact that I have no idea what an intern actually does at a fashion house or company, and that it will be pretty boring to write the day in and day out stuff without Marinette going to school (it would probably get pretty repetitive otherwise), so instead Beautiful Chaos' timeline will be in the summer holidays between the school years.

And as for the pregnancy rumour, so I don't need to address it again in Beautiful Chaos (except for maybe as a throwback comment of something similar), it is an ongoing issue and will never truly be resolved because the class doesn't believe Marinette, and Lila _does_ have a photo as 'evidence'. It is also in correlation to how some people have doubts and speculations when a person says they are sexually assaulted or raped – there is always at least one person who says that the assaulted person is making it up, and it is for that reason that it is hard for victims of sexual assault and rape to speak out, because they know there's a chance they won't be believed (a 'he said, she said' situation).

Because Lila has the photo – and because Marinette's class is full of idiots who only hear what they want to hear - the class have doubts into whether she actually is pregnant, or whether she and Luka may have had sex (which they didn't, obviously), and those rumours aren't rumours that can be proven so much as just trusted that they are _only_ rumours, because even though the class knows that Lila is a liar, they are only shunning her, so to speak, because they feel embarrassed and ashamed for not seeing that she was lying earlier, rather than it being because she hurt Marinette and is a bad person.

Thank you for favouriting, following, reading and reviewing this story. I love you all for it, and I love all your reviews (just like with 'I'm much more me when I'm with you', I have read them over and over again and they tend to give me a bit of a confidence boost to keep writing) and I don't mind if you keep reviewing even now that this story has finished – I will still read them.

Stay safe, stay isolated, and look out for Beautiful Chaos (but only if you want to. I'm not going to force you to read it and you don't have to if you don't want to, that's up to you).

Cheers xx


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